Lobbyists

Plain and simple, the lobbying in Washington has gotten out of hand. These days there are thousands of lobbyists. They are clearly interfering with the will of the people getting done. Aren't our elected representatives there to do the will of the people? That's what our government is all about. Government of the people, by the people and for the people should ring a bell. But the lobbyists are there to stop the will of the people if it interferes with the will of those they represent (their clients).

The taxpayers are the highest authority in the land. At least that's the way it's supposed to be. It is the responsibility of all public officials to make sure that the will of the people gets done - not the will of the big businesses that the lobbyists represent. But money talks, doesn't it? And big businesses have more money than you and I. As the years have passed, slowly but surely the will of the lobbyists has taken it's toll on the will of the people.

Lobbying is big business these days, with lobbyists spending billions of dollars per year attempting to sway government agencies - including your elected representatives in Congress. I don't suppose that it's fair to say that they are there to purposely undermine the will of the people. Their purpose is to get the will of their clients done. However, this may automatically exclude what the taxpaying people want. And this is the problem. Over the years this system, which is constitutionally guaranteed, has become a stumbling block to the will of the people.

As your next president the will of the lobbyists will be replaced with the will of the people - like it should be. Circumventing the multitudes of lobbyists may be a tall order for most presidential candidates and is probably something that they don't even want to think about. I can almost guarantee you that the rest of the 2008 presidential candidates have no plans for dealing with the lobbyists because it's such an overwhelming task. To prove me wrong, please call your favorite candidate and ask him or her how they plan on getting around the thousands of lobbyists in Washington so that the will of the people can get accomplished. I'm guessing that you won't get a satisfactory answer.

Thanks to the unique "Meet and Vote" program, that only the American Taxpayer party offers, I won't need to lift one hand or expend one ounce of energy to push the lobbyists aside when it comes to the important issues that the people want to decide for themselves (most of which are listed in Index 2). The lobbyist threat will be automatically negated in the "Meet and Vote" decision making process, as will all other negative forces in Washington, D.C. That's one of the strong points of the "Meet and Vote" program.

If you have already read up on the "Meet and Vote" program (in Index 1) you probably remember that important issues will be settled quickly and efficiently by a "Vote" of the people. Because it is important for the taxpayers to vote intelligently on the issue at hand, they will need to be educated about that issue before they vote on it. That's why the "Meet and Vote" program calls for the voters to "Meet" via national television before they vote. These meetings will be for the sole purpose of informing the voters on the issue to be voted on.

This "Meet and Vote" program is very simple. A hot topic will be chosen - one that I feel the American Taxpayers want a say in. For example, the first one to be addressed will be the Iraq War if it is still going on in 2008. I feel that this is the hottest topic and I also feel that the American Taxpayers want a say in this whole mess since their leaders can't seem to get it right. So we will "Meet" to talk about what the people want. These nationally televised programs will usually take place in the evenings and rebroadcast through the night.

There will always be a live audience of voters at the meetings who will be encouraged to participate with questions and statements. Elected representatives will be encouraged to attend as will other public officials. I will always be there to host the proceedings and to keep order since some of the meetings are expected to get lively. Democrat and Republican leaders will be responsible for bringing "experts" on the topic at hand to represent their views. That way I will remain in a neutral position.

The "experts" and other speakers will inform the voters about both sides of the issue. It is of the utmost importance that the truth be told to the voters so that they can become properly informed. Once the voters get educated to their satisfaction, they will be given various options by their elected representatives to consider. The day after the last meeting the voters will go to the polls and vote their conscience. The votes will be tallied and within a day or two the voters will be notified of the results of the voting. The results will also be given to your elected representatives and they will immediately enact legislation according to the will of the people.

The majority of voters will always rule in this process. So where do the lobbyists fit into the equation? They don't. That's my point. They've been excluded. The will of the people is done 100% of the time with no interference from outside forces. That's the beauty of the "Meet and Vote" program. Another strong point of the "Meet and Vote" process is that it will allow us to settle these issues in a matter of days instead of dragging on and on as they currently do. In the case of the Iraq war issue we could be out of there in no time if that's what the people want.

There will always be a place for lobbyists in our system. Anywhere there is easy money there will be those scrambling for it. But we can completely eliminate their influence on the big issues that the people should decide. And that's what we want. It will happen automatically when we use the "Meet and Vote" program - which will be quite often. There are about 50 issues listed in Index 2, most of which I believe the American Taxpayers would like to have a say in.

My plan is to address one issue per month, even though that may be a bit optimistic - especially at first while we are working the bugs out of the system. But I think that we can address most of the issues listed in Index 2 over a four year presidential term. As for the thousands of lobbyists that may lose their jobs in the midst of all of this I would point them to the real work force where they can become part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

[For a complete understanding of how the "Meet and Vote" program works please go to Index 1 and click on the "Meet and Vote" program button. Everything you want to know is there.]

INDEX 1 - AGENDA

INDEX 2 - ISSUES