GovTrack.Us

GovTrack.Us has information on all bills going back to 1993 and follows the status of current pending legislation as it goes through the law-making processs.

My brother Coburn’s idea is that these drafts of legislation could lay a foundation for innovative improvements by citizens.  Here, all the current bills before the House and Senate are posted and could be the basis for pragmatic solutions, writing or rewriting, or just increased citizen awareness to inform other roadblocks or incentives for other innovations.

Warren Buffet and Chain-letter Representation.

So, my mom forwarded me this chain-letter, supposedly initiated by Warren Buffet.  While there may be problems w this whole scenario, in essence, I’m humored to say that this is an example of what this innovation website aspires for.  The agency of an individual, to share an idea, ask for improvements, increase the social capital, expand the audience, and demand representation.

I think collectively we could make it better.  I think if we made it better, we would own it, and it would go viral.  I often wonder if fame, success and unusual talent has beaten down the implicit freedom and agency within each of us to actively drive society.  That someone powerful like Warren Buffet may rally the call as an important move for the collective good is not in doubt here.  That the power of the exponential is in our hands, also, not in doubt.  But most importantly, what this idea lacks is an implementation plan.  It is a chain-letter, and all chain letters do, is give me anxiety, not action.  What do you think, Change.org, want to innovate and propose this as one action for Occupy Wall Street?

An email I received October 30, 2011.  Congressional Reform Act of 2011

“Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.  In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
2. Congress (past, present &future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American  people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.
Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!!”

Change.org – Online petition tool

I grew up in NH, where town meetings happen every March to approve the town budget.  My hometown has 1600 people in, and people still say Aye and Nay to practically every line of the budget.

Change.org holds my heart steady – this online petition tool uses the power of the internet to communicate agreement of a body politic on an issue.

All in favor, say Aye!