Politics seems to be completely broken, but it’s not. It simply lacks the foundation that’s required for politicians to be accountable. And it can easily be fixed.

We lack the foundation of representation

Accountability is the foundation of representation. Without this foundation, we should expect inconsistent results from our political system, including the horrible results we’re seeing now. All the “broken” areas are just how people are coping with a dysfunctional system.

It’s like trying to play a tennis match in a forest- balls neither bounce nor fly straight. People blame the balls and the players, but the truth is that consistent results are impossible.

The foundation can be created easily

It’s probably a lot to believe, but adding a rewarding mechanism for politicians to be accountable and voters to hold them accountable is pretty easy. And it will solve or facilitate solutions to all the major problems in politics, problems with voters, elections, campaigns, parties, representation, the media, even Congress itself.

Why isn’t this common knowledge?

This is not common knowledge first because most Americans can’t define “accountability”, though it’s widely thought to be needed. If we can’t define it, we can’t clearly see that it’s missing. We certainly can’t insist on it. Since our politicians can’t define it, they can’t deliver it. Many do their best to be accountable, but accountability is more than a state of being.

Secondly, it’s not understood because Americans are distracted by all the problems. Our mythology tells us politics can only be improved by fighting and “a movement”. In fact, many groups address all these problems, yet our problems have existed for decades- some for centuries. It’s very difficult to fix a problem if you don’t fix its real cause.

The fix is pretty simple. Politics lacks the foundation needed. At PeopleCount, we’ve defined it, and we’ve begun to build it.  But we need support.

People find this simple solution uncomfortable because our minds are filled with our myths. In them, bad citizens, bad politicians and bad corporations and oligarchs are at the heart of our problems. In reality, these people are reacting, albeit questionably, to a system that gives them no good choices. These myths tell us to fight, resist, help others fight and resist, or give up. There’s a better way. 

What next? Learn.

The first step is to consider all of this carefully, and be curious. Let your mind wonder: What would a good foundation provide? What would a good political system be like?

Please learn more. Especially see the guide to this blog. There’s a series of six articles about accountability, and a series of two about our solution.

Please support us. Please spread the word that with a new foundation, we can have a great political system. Instead of politics being how the parties fight for power and the wealthy buy influence, politics can be how We, the People, design our future together.

Please add your email address to our announcement list. We need your support to reach our launch.