This is truly a great idea. We should have done it sooner. It is most likely the one thing that the voters can do to peacefully force government to be responsible and accountable.
I hope all third parties and independents don't miss this excellent opportunity to finally give the people and themselves a voice in government.
Also, they'll know that if they are irresponsible, their career will be a short one.

dan, thanks for the comments and support. Please spread the word. The timing and environment are right for disenchanted voters to take back power of government. You grasp the concept perfectly.

Let's make it happen.

Thanks for your efforts in this voter's movement, David. You have my support! Tell me what I can do to help (besides passing the word along, which I will be better able to do now with this site)!

This site was an interesting find. I'm on board. I suggest you set up some kind of guestbook which will register and log what VOID supporters are doing to spread the incredible logical positive benefits of this plan. Let them see their names on the site as supporters. It's just good PR.

Stephanie, thank you, very much. I am putting together an initial small list of tasks that need people to manage them. I will post it over the weekend. If you see something you are interested in managing, it's yours to run with.

Aaron, thanks for your support. What a great idea! Will work on it this weekend. We need great ideas like this.

Aaron,
That's a great idea !
A guestbook as you suggested that appears like a petition that all can see.

And, as you say, we need a list of many benefits of this idea.

I can offer a few of the benefits, but please modify, expand, and/or comment-on as necessary.

David,
You may want to set up a donation link like you have at watchblog. I made an online contribution to watchblog, but would also like to make a online contribution to VOID too. Is there a place to do that?

DAN, thanks very much. I will attend to that this weekend. I will also be tapping your site for some data and relationships and attribute to your site where appropriate. Many thanks, Dan.

This site is a terrific idea. It exemplifies how people who believe in change should act.

We have far too many who are willing to criticize and too few willing to act.

Well done, I have nothing but respect for this effort.

Steve, thanks so very much for the words of encouragement. We will do our absolute very best to make a difference in this manner.

The VOID To-do list right now includes: "Set up a Void Writers page and recruit writers for this site covering VOID issues." I'd like to volunteer also, to help spread the word about this worthy cause.

Great, David W, I will shoot some info to you.

We the people of The United States, in order to form a more perfect union, to establish justice, insure domestic tranquilty, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Hummm, I don't see anything that says 'We the Politicians. This country belongs to US, the citizens.
It's time to take this our country away from the politicians and return it to the rightful owners.

I second (and third, fourth,...) that !

Thanks for stopping by, Ron!

The truly amazing thing is that voting out incumbents (i.e. voting out those already holding office) may be the most simple, easy, quick, safe, inexpensive, non-partisan, peaceful, easy to understand, easy to communicate and share, and most responsible action to peacefully force a balance of power (not simply shift) between government and the people.

This sentence (below, derived from your (David's) letter to 3rd (Green) parties) is very good, and think it would fit well somewhere in the mission statement (maybe after the 2nd sentence of the mission statement above):

__________________________
Incumbents in federal government have become so entrenched in partisan warfare, so consumed by campaign funding generation, and so beholding to special interests and lobbyists, that incumbents are ignoring the large majority of American voters in agreement on the need to address major issues that threaten the future and security of the nation.
__________________________

Dan, that sentence was in my original draft. But I thought it was too long and complex to clearly carry the meaning. That is why I broke it up in to smaller chunks in the Mission Statement.

Yes, that's probably best.
I've got a bad habit of writing run-on sentences that are too long.

I see we've got some more volunteers. This is great. Maybe voters nation-wide are getting as fed-up as they are in Pennsylvania ?

Also, In addition to the overall mission, The People should also insist on one thing that is very important to the long-term future and security of the nation:

Transparency, which will yield Responsibility and Accountability.

It's not enough to merely make a clean sweep once. It may take several elections to get the attention of the politicians, who are very deeply entrenched in the status quo, corruption, and influence peddling.

But, The People must also insist on simplifications to procedures that have been cleverly over-complicated (by design) to reduce transparency.

As one simple example, consider the following:

PROBLEM #1:
Consider the huge problem of pork-barrel, graft, and waste due to huge BILLs consisting of thousands of pages. The People are unable to determine why anyone voted for or against the BILL.

SOLUTION #1:
Pass an amendment to limit BILLs to only ONE purpose. BILLs can contain multiple items, but they must be related to the ONE stated purpose. This will stop corrupt politicians from sneaking pork-barrel into huge BILLs, and it will let The People see who and why each politicians voted for or against the BILL.

Many such simplifications are needed to unravel the unnecessary over-complication and bureaucracy that (by design) has reduced transparency and prevents The People from seeing what is really going on, and who in government is to be held responsible and accountable. A review of all activities needs to be performed to bring everything out into the light. It's likely that many simplifications and a bit of common-sense can be produce huge leaps toward more transparency and more honest, responsible, and accountable government.
There is no doubt that the federal government has become severely bloated and continues to grow to nightmare proportions.

Do we really need all of these offices, departments, agencies, committees, commissions, etc.?

The waste and inefficiency is incredulous, due to the a gang of over two million persons in the Executive Branch that are neither seen nor heard as they irresponsibly throttle our freedoms and prosperity; steadily growing and securing more and more power. One of the first steps toward totalitarianism, is the destruction of the parliamentary/legislative branches of government.

The People should send a clear message to Congress, vote them all out, and elect people who would take their oath of office to the Constitution seriously, and make one of their first acts of such a constitutional Congress to reducing the severely excessive and bloated Executive Branch (and the parliamentary/legislative branches too).
____
Other examples of much simple, no-brainer, common-sense simplifications are needed. For instance, how about some of the following ?
(1) a BALANCED BUDGET amendment;
(2) Put a stop to plundering of Social Security and Medicare and the deceptive book-keeping.
(3) Election Campaign finance and Election reform; government shouldn't be FOR SALE.
(4) Force Congress to use Social Security and Medicare, and remove their cu$hy multi-million dollar retirement systems totally funded by tax payers (not funded from their own salaries). Perhaps Social Security and other entitlement systems would be in trouble now, if Congress were not allowed to greedily abuse their power to vote themselves such extremely cu$hy benefits, perk$, and rai$e$ ?
(5) Tear down the illegal blockades that the two main parties have created to block access to ballots and debates for 3rd party and independent candidates. The People desperately need more and better choices.
(6) Eliminate the abused presidential pardon. This is a slap in the face to the Judge, jury, and prosecution. Look at the 140 felons Clinton pardoned (many of which had already pled guilty);
(7) Tax reform
(8) End Gerrymandering
(9) Prosecute corruption and strip the cu$hy pensions from politicians and government employees that steal from the tax payers.
(10) Put an end to the abuse of eminent domain laws which allow government to steal people's property.
_______
It is likely many other subsequent improvements would naturally follow, and the country would flourish and prosper knowing it has a plan, and is on a better path. Perhaps, taxes could even be lower, while still providing for the truly needy, a strong national defense, better law enforcement and protection, and equal opportunity for all citizens.

Ofcourse, once irresponsible incumbents are replaced, many such common-sense reforms will naturally follow. But, no reforms will ever be passed as long as incumbents outnumber the newcomers to congress that would like to pass some badly-needed, common-sense reforms.

Incumbents have it good, and they don't want anything to reduce their power or opportunities for self-gain.

It's about time I ran across something as worthy as this website. Let me know of any way I can volunteer. I'm a student, so I currently have little money, but I can do legwork. Let me know what you need, I feel so inert in a country that needs SO MUCH basic change.Thank you.

Vati Vati

Vati = Vote Against The Incumbents.
[That's v-a-t-i, with a long A and a long I.]
The present state of America makes me sick. It actually makes me nauseous to ponder how far this once magnificent country has slipped into mediocrity. When I was a young man, fifty years ago, you could mention just about anything: And America was best at that. Back then, America enjoyed the best health care, the best schools, and the best working conditions on Earth, while we worked fewer hours, made more money, and enjoyed a life style never before seen upon this planet.
Our coal mines were producing more coal, our steel-mills smelting more iron, and our assembly-lines led the World in the manufacture of beautiful automobiles, refrigerators, wash-machines, dryers, and the hoard of smaller appliances and gadgets (which eliminated most of the drudgery of our daily chores) and introduced mankind to the life-of-ease, we all now enjoy. Now, American High School Graduates rank only average (whether tested in Mathematics, World History, Language, Science or any other critical field of expertise) and compared with the student's test scores, from the other industrialized nations.
Our so-called health care system stinks, it is without question, the most dysfunctional conglomeration of nonsensical laws bureaucrats have ever assembled. It assures illegal aliens and greedy politicians unlimited free health care, while it renders millions of hard working honest citizens incapable of obtaining any kind of health insurance. The new Social Security Drug Plan deducts a premium for drug insurance, which you can bet will double every year (for at least the next two years) from the social security checks, of subscribers. A great many drugs are not covered by this new plan, and it only pays a maximum of about 70% on any drug, a lot less on most. When the total drug bill (what the retiree and the government pays) reaches $2250.00, Grandma gets cut off, has to pay it all herself, until her total drug bill reaches $3500.00. Obviously if Grandma can not afford her drugs, her bill will never get to $3500.00, so she will go without her drugs for the rest of the year. Of course the monthly premium will still be deducted from her Social Security Check. The drug companies formulated this drug bill, got it enacted, and only the drug companies are going to benefit from it. (Our government gives them the premiums.) In short, this Shaft Our Grandparents Bill is nothing but a multi-million dollar windfall for the drug companies.
The above bill is sure not the worst medical bill our elected officials have ever enacted. It just happens to be the last that made me angry. Hundreds of anti consumer bills and amendments are on the books, which benefit only the medical and/or the drug industries. Foreign competition to American Drug Companies is nonexistent. If it was legitimatized, we could import drugs from reputable foreign drug facilities, for as little as 10% of the extortion we now forced to pay our American Drug Companies. Sad to say, but the Medical Cartels and Drug Companies, with their unchallenged power, are not the worst villains when it comes to manipulating our US Government [or our state governments] into giving them a license to gouge us. The international oil and gas conglomerates, the interstate utility companies, railroad companies, automobile and airplane manufacturers, the cable companies, international shipping cartels and a score of other business concerns all wield as much or more power over our Congress, Senate and President, than the drug companies do. Big Business is our real enemy. Big Business controls our government, and Big Business is the real reason America is losing ground on all fronts, the reason America is steadily slipping into mediocrity.
The companies mentioned above, along with a score of Countries and a hoard of other mighty financial cartels, funnel billions of dollars, pac-money, annually into Washington, to influence the Republican and Democratic Party Leaders (Lords) to legislate on their behalf. The leaders of the Democratic and Republican Parties, the Party Lords, in the Congress and Senate, now have more control over their subservient Congressman and Senators, than any Marine General ever had over his troops. The political parties control the pac-money. And the pac-money is what decides who will get elected, or heaven forbid, smeared.
These political Lords can't just walk down on the floor and tell a congressman or senator that they are fired. But they can have anyone that fails to kowtow to the powers that be, ostracized, rendered powerless, and they can definitely keep anyone from being re-elected. It is very important that we all understand that these Party Lords have strict control over our congressmen and senators. And folks that's not Democracy, that's Bureaucracy.
And if we are going to declare war against our greedy bureaucracy, prudence behooves us to learn all we can about our enemy. Now, I just pulled what I have written here off the top of my head. So if you find a mistake, don't get excited, it is not that important, the overall theme of this opinion is correct. And furthermore it is also correct that with a minimum of research, anyone can ascertain for themselves that this greatest of all nations, is rapidly slipping into mediocrity. And even the United States of America, the greatest nation that ever existed, can fall from within, if we continue to allow misguided politicians the right, to barter away piece after piece of good government, to anyone who is able and willing to pay for preferential treatment.
I have been telling people for years; when in doubt always Vati. But only in this last year has the urge to really push this concept become obligatory. Actually, Voting Against The Incumbents, is a very viable method of straightening out what is wrong with America. Many congressmen and senators win their seats by very small margins, less than 5%. So, if just 5% of the electorate would vati, we would probably get between 20 and 25% of the Congress and Senators. And you can bet we would get their attention.
If as many people vatied, as voted for Ross Perot (he got 18.9% of the popular vote) we would unseat half of both houses. Folks this is a plan that definitely has possibilities. Politician's egos are all wrapped up in their positions. Actually the only thing in the World politicians love more than pac-money, is their influential positions, their jobs. And on the very day our legislators learn that their electorate is actually going to vote them out of office, they are going to be magically stricken with a burning desire to legislate on behave of their constituency.
The only question left is, where are you going to place your loyalty, to the political party that you have been blindly supporting - or to America? You can't serve two masters, and be loyal to both. We have to take the power away from the political Lords, to the extent that it allows our elected representatives to vote the way we tell them to vote. Or in thirty years you are not going to be able to tell the difference between Washington and the corrupt Government of Mexico, or for that matter, tell the difference between America and Mexico.
Grandpa Nate @ Rawlins, Wyoming.
See more @: http://voteagainsttheincubents.blogspot.com/

GrandpaNate,

I agree with most of what you say. But, we do have a democratic republic, which affords the voters the luxury of not having to come up with the solutions to complex problems on our own and then agree as a majority to them. That we leave to the elected representatives, leaving us free to simply ask the question at election time:

Has my representative solved the major issues I am concerned about? If the answer is yes, vote them back for another cycle. If the answer is no, a voter would have to be pretty stupid or ignorant to vote them back into office instead of voting for a challenger, any challenger, since one in office was either incompetent to the tasks, corrupt seeking self gain instead of the people's, or a liar and never intended to solve the people's problems when first elected.

Vati Party

VATI is the first letter in "Vote Against The Incumbents," and that is what it means. Vati means you always vote against the person holding the office, the incumbent, regardless of political affiliation.

The majority of our Congressmen and Senators have absolutely no fear of losing their offices. They know that party loyalty [be it Republican or Democrat] of their constituency will assure their perpetual reelecting. In the whole Senate you are likely to have only five or six seats [in the Congress less than 30 seats] that are not securely locked-up by one, or the other, political parties.

And actually, nothing is gained when we do manage to send an occasional new representative to Washington. In short: They are simply gobbled up by the system. They are introduced to pac-money, and the powerful party leaders [Party Lords] and end up cuddling up to Big Business, and voting the party line, for legislation that enhances the Conglomerate's bottom line, to the determent of their constituency, to the determent of America.

Now, a large percentage of Congressmen and Senators win their seats by very small margins, less than 5%, so if just 10% of the voters Vati, we would likely unseat nearly 20% of our Representatives. If we could generate as much support as Ross Perot did, [according to the last election] we would kick out close to 90% of the House and Senate.

But more important than just getting rid of some self-serving politicians, unseating just 10% of the House and Senate would definitely get their attention. And then we could demand drastic change. We could demand a clean break between our Legislators and Big Business. We could outlaw all soft-money, and make any contact between our Legislators and Big Business [except publicized discussion in an open forum] illegal.
We can demand term limits. I am for an eight-year term limit, for all Government Offices. Let Senators serve one six year term or change the length their terms to four years. We can demand secure borders, and that everything entering our ports be inspected. We could demand a rigidly enforced alien worker program, which caters to America's needs. And demand a viable plan which honorably ends the war in Iraq.

We can let Washington know, anyone who votes against anything the majority of America clearly wants, had better start looking for a new job.

Vatiing is a very viable method of voting to save America, to cure what is wrong with America, a viable way of stopping America's rapid descent into mediocrity.

The interest in "vote against the incumbents" is growing exponentially. Now we need to get organized, form a political party. Much like any other political party, except we won't run candidates for office. Our challenge will be to make the other Parties Candidates legislate for American, and America's People.

If you have any ideas, comments, want to help get organized, or whatever, please leave a message at: http://voteagainsttheincumbents.blogspot.com/

Great idea.

Plato said it long ago: "Those who SEEK power are invariably the least fit to hold and wield it."

It takes pure narcissism, ego mania, megalomania, opportunism, dishonesty and even psychopathic tendencies to self-declare, self-annoint, self-credential, self-select oneself as the "best" of the available candidates or even the best qualified for anything. In most cultures one does not self-certify one's own credentials if for no other reason than conflict of interest--like being a judge of your own case in court.

Also why not write-in in every State for Stephen Colbert or none of the above. Imagine if voter participation rates went up to 95% with none of the above or Colbert getting more votes than Billary or whatever nazi Neanderthal the Republicans are likely to put up.

I speak to a deaf world. And I know not how to gain her ear. America is degenerating at a rapid pace. We are now over $9,210,000.000,000 in debt. That is over $30,275 for every man, woman and child in this country. It would take us over thirty years to pay off this debt, if we installed sane representatives in Washington, and strictly adhered to a balanced budget.

Our schools now rank 28th [28th that's pathetic,] in the World. We are in a war that we can't win, in the foreseeable future, and can't get out of. Our Government is broken. We are no longer functioning as a Democracy. We are operating as a Bureaucracy. The Party Lords tell our congressmen and senators how to vote. And Big Business, mostly International Conglomerates, give the Party Lords [which they buy with Pac-money] their orders.

That should be enough said: Because I don't really believe that there is anyone in America, who is old enough to vote, that does not know this country is in trouble.

Every day the Republican and Democratic Party Lords work at enacting bills, which cedes one international conglomerate after another some financial quid pro quo, for pac-money received. And nearly all concessions to Big Business prove to be detrimental to America's working people. Under the present system America will eventually have hungry masses without health care, millionaires, and no middle class. America, as we know her, is at this moment rapidly degenerating.

Changing out Republican for a Democratic, or Democratic for a Republican, or just replacing a Republican or Democratic with what is deemed a better member of their own party, will not help the situation. The new comer will quickly learn how the ball bounces in Washington, and vote the Party Line, as the Party Lords dictate, and business will continue as usual. And that is not Democracy, but Bureaucracy.

But all is not lost: America can still be saved. There is enough energy being wasted fighting our unresponsive system, for various causes, to fix America twice. This is still America, and we still get to vote. So let's act like a Democracy, band together, vati, [Vote Against The Incumbents.] and send enough Congressmen and Senators home, to get the attention of those who are left.

If just 10% of us would vati, we would get between 20 and 25% of the House and Senate. If 20% of us vati, we would send 75% of both Houses home. And you can bet: You'd have your Representative's ear.

It really doesn't matter whether you want to save the spotted owl, secure our borders, protect the giant redwoods, or the North Slope, save some swamp, fight Global Warming, or clean up a river, or whatever, all these things are going to cost Big Business money. And they are not going to allow you to get it done until, unless, we take back the reins of government. And none of you have the power to do that alone. So the answer is simple; whatever your cause, You Have Two choices; either fail, or band together and clean up Washington. Save America, and then you will have a hoard of accommodating representatives to help promote your cause. So start contacting other groups and get the ball rolling. You can do it, and it will work. But! Time is essential. So get at it. Good Luck, GrandpaNate
http://Voteagainsttheincumbents.blogspot.com/