Change

Personal change is hard. Institutional change is almost impossible.

Influence begets money. Money begets influence. And the cycle begins.

And somehow along the way Congress lost touch with the ordinary American: with you and with me. Moneyed interests have been influencing media, manipulating what Joe and Jane American get to see and hear, and therefore think about. Moneyed interests shape what does and does not get done in Congress.

So now we have a political landscape that forces our attention to issues that are divisive while moneyed interests wield their influence. Wealthy people gain more wealth. And now Joe and Jane's son or daughter goes off to war. Joe and Jane can't afford gas to get to work. Joe and Jane lose their home. Joe and Jane can't afford medical care. Joe and Jane can't afford food. We're way off track here.

And yet our political structures want us to keep our eye on the divisive issues of the day. Why, exactly?

I believe strongly that we need to get government back in the business of the people, of taking care of all of the Joes and Janes of our country.

I came across attorney and professor Lawrence Lessig's work, battling the corporate self-indulgent interests of media owners via copyright law, several years ago. I've been fascinated by this man's keen insight into law, culture, and how technology creates shifting sands at the intersection of both.

Interestingly, to me, this work has led him to attempt a new approach to reforming our Congress. He began Change Congress, which has 4 simple tenets he believes are essential to getting Congress on track so we as a nation can deal better with the larger issues we all face:

1. Congress should accept contributions from individuals only, lobbyists excepted.
2. Congress should abolish "earmarks."
3. We should increase transparency in Congress.
4. We should use public financing of public elections.

I personally support all four of these tenets, but supporting them all is certainly no requirement for participating in lending your support to influence change in the one(s) in which your heart resonates.

If you're interested in learning more about Lawrence Lessig and the Change Congress initiative, this article by Christopher Hayes over at The Nation is a really good place to start.

I just want my government to be more accountable to people and less so to moneyed influence.

Am I asking too much?