Could True U.S. democracy be far greater achieved if political money were stopped from doing the talking for it?

Over the past two decades, national political and civil discourse in the United States has been characterized by "Truth Decay," defined as a set of four interrelated trends: an increasing disagreement about facts and analytical interpretations of facts and data; a blurring of the line between opinion and fact; an increase in the relative volume, and resulting influence, of opinion and personal experience over fact; and lowered trust in formerly respected sources of factual information.

Trickle-down economics is a hoax, a convenient hoax, designed to enrich the moneyed interests.

In order to emphasize the importance of this matter, a sense of fairness is extremely important to people's psychological well-being.

The more people feel that society is set up in a biased way, which unfairly favors some over others, the more downtrodden and exploited they feel, and thus, the more angry and miserable.

We are seeing this phenomenon at present, in the form of anger directed at banks, financial institutions, big business (most of all, oil companies), insurance companies, and government.

Anger lead to demands for change, which can result in denial and further repression by the powers that be, constructive progress, or violent revolution. We as a people -- people of the entire world, in fact -- must insist that the course of constructive progress be the one taken. This is a crucial role of the public in the use of moral capital. It is the public's use of its own moral capital, to insist that government be a place of moral capital.

We as a people must insist that the course of constructive progress be the one taken.
This is a crucial role of the public in the use of moral capital.

It is the public's use of its own moral capital, to insist that government be a place of moral capital.
As long as financial capital is allowed which by its nature encourages excesses under the delusion of never-ending gain, society will be strapped with unfairness and corruptions unacceptable degrees.

Mass Collaboration Equals The Playing Field.

While there are already armies of citizen interest groups combating the corruption problem, far less scrutiny has been devoted to addressing the lobbyist access and trust issue. In truth, the world of crafting legislation has become so complicated that lobbyists often play a valuable role in providing context and subject matter expertise on a given issue. Staffers, who are often working under tight deadlines, can use the old “Crossfire” method of gaining information, where they ask opposing lobbyists for their opinions in order to become informed on an issue. White papers and research are provided by lobbyists, which help the staffer construct an early draft of the proposed language. While competing lobbyists might be a useful way of gathering detailed information in a pinch, it leaves the American citizen out of the process. Far too often, issues critical to the public at large are never included in the initial crafting of the legislation.

The most damaging consequences of Truth Decay include the erosion of civil discourse, political paralysis, alienation and disengagement of individuals from political and civic institutions, and uncertainty over national policy.

Truth Decay and How To Fight It.

Interdisciplinary research and cooperation among research organizations, policymakers, educators, and other stakeholders will be necessary to shed light on the problem of Truth Decay and to develop a clearer understanding of the problem and devise possible solutions.

To be truly transformative, efforts to end corruption and achieve sustainable development must have at their core the full participation and involvement, at all stages.

key initial steps to end corruption.

We will need of our young people their engagement to achieve the key ways to curb corruption set forth below, and to ensure the generational advancement of community continually moves positively forward toward a better nation in the world.

Focus on education

It is absolutely essential that greater attention be placed on the need for comprehensive education for the future generation. Such efforts would involve ensuring that school and university curricula are updated and modernized in line with societal changes and developments to reinforce positive ideas and societal values for future generations and protect vulnerable groups of children. These efforts also require us to ensure that all children have adequate access to education, proper transportation and facilities, and necessary government and community support.

An emphasis on education, however, is not limited to only the formal school or university setting. It includes the holistic education of the next generation through community and religious institutions, vocational and internship opportunities, and participation in public and political processes as an integral part of socialization and development. Such an approach would be more likely to bridge the gap between the younger generation and political institutions that represent and serve their interests, fostering more productive relationships and more open dialogue.

Create a culture of integrity

Closely connected to the focus on education is the need to create a culture of integrity that is “hard-wired” in society. While such a culture can be fostered and advanced through the comprehensive education of the next generation discussed previously, there is no reason to limit such efforts to only young people. Civil servants, political leaders and private-sector actors – both individually and collectively – can immediately begin establishing and strengthening a culture of integrity that concentrates on high-quality service delivery and professional performance standards, treating individuals with respect and dignity, and – above all else – playing by the same rules of fairness and objectivity. That means living by principles seemingly so basic and obvious as “no cutting corners” and “not being above the law”. To paraphrase the author Robert Fulghum, such wisdom is not to be found on the top of the graduate school mountain, but in the sandpile at elementary school.

Demand accountability

For any society to be successful at curbing corruption and sustaining a culture of integrity, there must be mechanisms in place that operate as a check on thinking or behaviour that would represent a backsliding to the previous corrupt ways of doing business in the public or private sectors. Such monitoring and oversight helps to positively reinforce integrity and professionalism while holding accountable those who choose to violate the positive societal norms. In order to create such institutions, however, it is up to the public to demand accountability from their political leaders, civil servants and private-sector actors. And this demand must be sustained through challenging times of political transition or economic downturn, when the temptations for engaging in unlawful and corrupt behavior will be at their highest levels.