Summary:

I. Support Represent.Us

II. Support Ranked Choice Voting

III. Get Big Money Out of Politics 

V. End Insider Trading in Congress

VI. Roll Back Executive Power

VII. Restore Citizen-led Grand Juries

I. Support Represent.Us

I am a proud soldier in the Represent.Us movement and strongly encourage you to join as well. Through local ballot initiatives (a process that allows citizens to propose and vote directly on laws) we can pass the Anti-Corruption Act: 

1. Stopping Political Bribery

• Ban lobbyist gifts to politicians.
• Close the revolving door between lobbying and government jobs.
• Prevent politicians from fundraising during working hours.
• Put a true limit on campaign donations.

2. Ending Secret Money

• Require full transparency of political donations and spending.
• Stop Super PACs and special interests from coordinating with candidates.

3. Fixing Broken Elections

• Implement ranked-choice voting or other systems to increase competition.
• End gerrymandering with independent redistricting commissions.
• Improve ballot access and voter participation.

II. Support Ranked Choice Voting: 

(RCV) helps minimize tribalism and reduces negative campaigning by encouraging candidates to appeal to a wider audience instead of focusing only on their base. By allowing voters to rank their preferences, RCV expands the field of options and gives third-party and independent candidates a fair chance without the risk of splitting the vote or acting as “spoilers.” This system makes elections more equitable by better reflecting voter preferences and ensuring winners have broad support.

III. Get Big Money Out of Politics: 

The Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission has had devastating consequences for our country by allowing unlimited spending in political campaigns. This has transformed elections into billion-dollar spectacles dominated by wealthy donors and special interest groups. For example, spending in the 2024 U.S. elections reached an unprecedented $15.9 billion, more than double the cost of the 2016 elections. These astronomical sums could have been used to address pressing issues such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Instead, they fuel a political system that prioritizes the interests of the wealthy over the needs of everyday Americans. To restore fairness and trust in our democracy, we must work to get big money out of politics and ensure that elections reflect the will of the people, not the wealthiest few.

(See my Economic Justice for a short summary on how the Koch brothers brought us Citizens United.) 

IV. Stop Political Bribery: 

The massive infusion of money from lobbyists and corporate interests has allowed industries like Big Pharma, Big Insurance, and the Military-Industrial Complex to exert disproportionate influence over lawmakers, effectively diluting democracy. In healthcare, the pharmaceutical industry spends hundreds of millions annually on lobbying Congress, yet reaps billions in profit from overpriced medications. In 2024, $3.3 billion—almost 46% of the FDA’s $7.2 billion budget—came directly from pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, highlighting the extent to which the industry has embedded itself in government institutions. The revolving door between government and industry is glaringly evident at the FDA, where five (McClellan, Crawford, Von Eschenbach, Hamburg, Califf) out of the last six heads of the agency immediately transitioned to high-paying positions in the very companies whose products they helped regulate during their time at the FDA, creating a direct conflict of interest. This close relationship between regulators and the industries they oversee ensures that policies favor corporate interests over public health. Companies like Pfizer and Merck use their financial power to delay or weaken reforms, such as Medicare’s ability to negotiate drug prices, maintaining exorbitant profits at the expense of ordinary Americans.

Similarly, Big Insurance spends millions lobbying Congress to block meaningful healthcare reforms while maximizing its profits. Insurers like UnitedHealthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield pour vast sums into political campaigns, ensuring that policies favor their bottom line rather than the needs of patients. As a result, Americans face skyrocketing premiums, deductibles, and co-pays, while covered services continue to shrink. Despite these cost-cutting measures, the insurance industry continues to generate billions in profits, demonstrating that their lobbying efforts are aimed at sustaining a system that benefits corporate shareholders, not the public.

The Military-Industrial Complex operates in a similar way, spending millions to lobby Congress while profiting billions from ongoing conflicts. Defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman ensure high military budgets by funneling money into political campaigns, securing lucrative contracts that prioritize corporate profit over national security — all while sometimes paying zero or even negative taxes (i.e., refunds).

In each of these industries, the flood of money spent on lobbying Congress leads to policies that prioritize corporate profit over public welfare, while these same corporations continue to amass billions in earnings. This makes elected officials more accountable to their donors than to the people they represent, eroding trust in government and reducing democracy to a pay-to-play system where influence is bought, not earned.

Ultimately, these systems are perpetuated by a lack of accountability and transparency. To restore democracy, we need to enact policies that encourage extreme transparency and close the revolving door between government agencies and the private sector. Specifically, it should be made illegal for heads of public industries or agencies to move directly to the private industries they were once responsible for regulating. By enacting these reforms, we can ensure that public service is focused on serving the public good and not on furthering the interests of powerful corporations.

President Trump has taken political corruption to a whole new level, openly asking oil executives to donate $1 billion for access and favors. The promotion of his meme coin for personal profit isn’t just a conflict of interest — it’s a flagrant violation of bribery laws, including The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, turning political favors into a commodity he can sell.

WE ARE LOSING DEMOCRACY FOLKS! 

V. End Insider Trading in Congress:

It’s time to prohibit Senators and Congressional representatives from engaging in insider trading based on privileged information obtained through the committees they serve on and the bills they work on in Congress. This unethical practice has become so pervasive that popular apps now track congressional trades to help users replicate their investments. Such behavior creates a glaring conflict of interest, allowing lawmakers to personally profit while eroding public trust in government. By exploiting market-sensitive information unavailable to ordinary citizens, they prioritize their financial gain over the needs of their constituents. This must be made illegal—if the average American were caught trading on insider knowledge, they would face prosecution, yet lawmakers continue to do so with impunity. Without clear and enforceable laws banning this practice, Congress will remain a place where public service is too often overshadowed by personal enrichment.

VI. Roll Back Executive Power:

Although President Trump has recently been the most aggressive architect and opportunist of executive overreach, the steady expansion of presidential power has been underway for the past century. This shift marks a clear departure from the constitutional design, in which Article I—granting power to Congress—was deliberately placed before Article II, which outlines the presidency. The Founders intended the legislative branch to be the dominant force in government, reflecting the will of the people. Yet over time, the balance has eroded as presidents have increasingly bypassed Congress through executive orders, exerted growing control over federal agencies, and acted unilaterally in both domestic and foreign affairs. This concentration of power makes the threat of oligarchy more tangible, as policymaking is increasingly shaped by a narrow set of individuals and interests, rather than by broad democratic consensus. To protect the republic, we must scale back the executive, restore the rightful role of Congress, and reinforce the independence of institutions that were never meant to serve a single person or political machine.

VII. Restore Citizen-led Grand Juries:

I am proud to serve as a member of Virginia Beach’s newly formed 12-member citizen-led grand jury, and we are actively working to restore this vital right to the people.

Grand juries are groups of ordinary citizens empowered to decide whether there is enough evidence to bring criminal charges. Historically, they were powerful, independent bodies initiated by the people—not controlled by the government. In colonial America and the early republic, grand juries could issue presentments on their own, investigating public officials and rooting out corruption without waiting for a prosecutor's lead. Over time, however, this independence eroded. Prosecutors and judges gradually took control of the process, reducing grand juries to rubber stamps rather than tools of citizen oversight.

We must restore the grand jury to its original purpose: A democratic check on government power—a fourth branch of democracy. As Thomas Jefferson wrote, “I consider that trial by jury as the only anchor, ever yet imagined by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.” This isn’t just philosophy—it has legal precedent. The Fifth Amendment guarantees the right to a grand jury indictment, and historically included presentments initiated by citizens themselves. In United States v. Williams (1992), the Supreme Court reaffirmed that grand juries are “not part of any branch of the institutional Government,” but rather serve as “a buffer or referee between the Government and the people.”

Reviving citizen-led grand juries is urgently needed to combat corruption and restore accountability. From suspicious deaths in police custody to unanswered questions surrounding high-profile cases like Jeffrey Epstein’s network, to the murder of JFK, we need mechanisms for the people—not just officials—to demand transparency and justice. It’s time to reclaim the grand jury for what it was always meant to be: a tool of the people, by the people, for the people.

    ***  Visit https://restoregrandjuryrights.org to see the other cities doing this, access a wealth of supporting literature, and learn how you can be a part of this national movement.  ***