If it were not for the younger generation in any society, change would probably never occur. Fortunately, it was they who first started to protest the Vietnam War while my generation was slow to grasp the fact that it was costing the taxpayers billions of dollars to support a losing cause and taking the lives of many good men and women.

Nevertheless, the younger generation is once again leading the way to demanding fairness for the American people by protesting that the federal government prosecute the greedy CEOs that took part and brought the eventual collapse of Wall Street and the banking industry.

I am sure the young people who supported Obama’s candidacy for president of the United States on the premise that “Yes we can” are gravely disappointed today as it has turned out to be more “No we can’t” regarding all of his campaign promises. Unfortunately, their idealistic hope for a charismatic leader to lead them to a just and fair America is being countered very effectively by professional lobbyists and wealthy industrial executives.

I believe that money is the culprit in this scenario. Money for a candidate’s election campaign, in essence, buys the candidate’s loyalty for future legislation that will directly benefit the corporation or individual(s). It does not matter whether the legislator is a Republican or a Democrat; the bottom line is that the wealthy pull the strings for what a politician does in Congress. That is why as long as we continue with the present means of financing the campaigns of candidates, we will continually be at the mercy of the very wealthy.

Fortunately, there is a proactive movement to bring fairness and equality back to the legislative elective process. It is called “Get Money Out” of politics. They have a web site, www.getmoneyout.com that you can view explaining their cause in detail, but essentially, it requires only the signing of a petition to become proactive in the fight for justice. Mr. Jimmy Williams, former Washington lobbyist, has written a draft for a Constitutional Amendment for public debate this fall. In essence it states, “No person, corporation or business entity of any type, domestic, or foreign, shall be allowed to contribute money directly or indirectly, to any candidate for federal office or contribute money on behalf of or opposed to any type of campaign for federal office.”

I admit this is a radical departure from how we have been conducting the business of electing politicians over the years, but what it does is create a basis for discussion on the subject. As it stands now, the ones with the largest money chest usually win the election regardless of their abilities and experiences. I am sure there are many interested and qualified persons who want to enter the political arena, but lack the funds to campaign and are ultimately lost in the maze of hopelessness.

A new paradigm on how we fund political campaigns is required, if we are ever going to change the present modus operandi. By restructuring how we support campaign funding, it might provide that little ray of hope for a government for the people!