Some Planks for a Progressive Platform [View All]

[Ozymanithrax]

My biggest question about progressivism is that in these days it is ill defined. With progressives laying the blame for the election debacle on too little progressivism in our elected leaders, I think it is time to develop a progressive platform that most progressives can champion and demand that our elected leaders follow. I suggest two planks here, and hope people will consider them, make suggestions to make them better, or nominate more planks.

Because the electorate listens best to sound bites, I have attempted to edit the concepts into sounds bites with simple explanations.

Too Big to Fail. Too Great a Danger

Big Corporations pose a clear and present danger to our economy when they fail. Economies of scale have a distinct advantage to the owners and investors who use their economic obesity to get better deals on materials and can make a greater profit. However, in the free for all of a Modern Capitalist Economy they pose a distinct danger to the nations where they exist. A Big Bank, Retail Mega-store, Super-sized Energy Company, Over sized Health Insurance Company, or bloated Automobile Manufacturer endangers the entire economy when they sicken and are forced to ask for bailouts because the danger of their failure is catastrophic to our economy. These Companies of Scale are anti-competitive, muscling out smaller more innovative businesses to hog the profit trough.

Breaking up Too Big to Fail business is one corner piece of a progressive competitive economy. This requires rewriting regulations and anti-trust legislation, and economic oversight to ensure that anti-competitive polices and shear size do not hurt the broader economy.

Private vote, Public disclosure

Our votes should be private, but the voices of people influencing our elections must be public. The Supreme Court Decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission allowed a Tsunami of undisclosed money into our election system, opening the floodgates for large contributors and even foreign governments and groups to influence our politics to the tune of 4.8 billion dollars.

Though the ideal would be publicly funded elections, such a course would require a Constitutional Amendment to deal with issues raised with money being the same as free speech. Requiring all individuals and groups to declare the money they use to influence elections lies within the legislative process. We strongly advocate requiring open declaration of all individuals, companies, and investors in companies who contribute money to campaigns.