Mixed Media Culture :: essays research papers

Mixed Media Culture Following the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Ben Franklin was asked what kind of government the country now had; â€Å"a republic, if you can keep it†. Franklin’s concerns at that time was that we might turn to a monarchy on the basis that this was the kind of government familiar to most people in the new world. Now, many years later, we should be concerned about the same issue, but rather than a â€Å"real† monarchy, comprised of an individual or a family ruling the country, we are faced with the prospect of money being the King and those with money controlling government and society. We have seen government fall to the whims of money and special interest groups, more in the last decade than before. There are laws on the books to control the influence peddling in Washington and other communities, but these laws are not being enforced. Pressure and influence by unions, large business groups and other large organizations has been common place for years, but in the recent past, we have seen influence from individuals, many with less than acceptable standards, accepted by the size of their campaign contributions to individuals or to a specific party. The average American has to wonder today whose interest is being served by their representatives. The idea of a government for the people can and should be questioned, until we can put controls on those with money and the manner in which they are allowed to spend money to influence elections and policies. When we see polls indicating that nearly two thirds of the participants question the integrity of the government, we need to look seriously at what changes need to be made. We need to develop a system that is less influenced about the need to raise large sums of money and get the politicians more focused on the needs and values of society. Some of the measures being considered include: better enforcement of laws currently on the books, restrictions on a candidate raising large sums of money, if he elects public funds for his campaign, closing the loopholes associated with soft-money contributions from unions, business groups and others, and encourage voluntary limits on campaign spe nding. Obviously, we did not get in this position overnight and this issue is not something that will be solved without a sweeping change through the government structure. Another issue impacting the political process today is the lack of participation by registered voters and maybe the need to increase the number of registered voters.