Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Politics Corrupted By Conflict of Interest

Baraka_Guru · 05-19-2011, 12:52 PM

I'm unconcerned with term limits with regard to politics and corruption. Christ, we don't even have term limits on our prime minister here in Canada. If Stephen Harper wants to continue to be prime minister, so long as he and his party keep getting re-elected, he can continue to serve in that spot at Her Majesty's pleasure. Our longest serving prime minister was the Right Honorable William Lyon Mackenzie King, who served 22 years. Just keep in mind, though, that the people of Canada don't vote directly for the prime minister; they technically vote for their local member of parliament, and the party's leader who wins the most seats is designated prime minster.

And though Canada is not without its problems of corruption, the few problems we do have are unlikely to stem from this lack of term limit. I'm more concerned with campaign financing. Canada has rules that differ from the U.S. We have restrictions that limit the cash that flows during elections. One limitation is that each party has a maximum amount of money that they can spend on advertising during a campaign.

There are others, but let's focus more generally: I think that money should be regulated to have limited influence on political campaigns. Just as it's important to keep the state separate from the church, I think that wealth should be kept relatively separate. I think it's undemocratic that the wealthy should easily have the greatest and most widespread voice during elections. With the sophistication of current media, it's more so the case than it has been in the past. Where the boundaries between entertainment and news, opinion and journalism, blur, I think campaign financing indeed should be reformed to ensure that the rich don't carry the election as though it were their show.

And it's not just about who owns the message. Of course, the deeper problem as has been brought up is the idea of having politicians in people's pockets. With regard to politics, few ideas disgust me more than a supposed elected member of public office being essentially beholden to powerful, elite, and ultimately faceless forces.

05-19-2011, 12:52 PM	#7 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	I'm unconcerned with term limits with regard to politics and corruption. Christ, we don't even have term limits on our prime minister here in Canada. If Stephen Harper wants to continue to be prime minister, so long as he and his party keep getting re-elected, he can continue to serve in that spot at Her Majesty's pleasure. Our longest serving prime minister was the Right Honorable William Lyon Mackenzie King, who served 22 years. Just keep in mind, though, that the people of Canada don't vote directly for the prime minister; they technically vote for their local member of parliament, and the party's leader who wins the most seats is designated prime minster. And though Canada is not without its problems of corruption, the few problems we do have are unlikely to stem from this lack of term limit. I'm more concerned with campaign financing. Canada has rules that differ from the U.S. We have restrictions that limit the cash that flows during elections. One limitation is that each party has a maximum amount of money that they can spend on advertising during a campaign. There are others, but let's focus more generally: I think that money should be regulated to have limited influence on political campaigns. Just as it's important to keep the state separate from the church, I think that wealth should be kept relatively separate. I think it's undemocratic that the wealthy should easily have the greatest and most widespread voice during elections. With the sophistication of current media, it's more so the case than it has been in the past. Where the boundaries between entertainment and news, opinion and journalism, blur, I think campaign financing indeed should be reformed to ensure that the rich don't carry the election as though it were their show. And it's not just about who owns the message. Of course, the deeper problem as has been brought up is the idea of having politicians in people's pockets. With regard to politics, few ideas disgust me more than a supposed elected member of public office being essentially beholden to powerful, elite, and ultimately faceless forces. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 05-19-2011 at 12:55 PM..