{"id":1295,"date":"2013-02-25T13:34:05","date_gmt":"2013-02-25T13:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vote.org\/?page_id=1295"},"modified":"2017-12-01T19:08:37","modified_gmt":"2017-12-01T19:08:37","slug":"the-national-initiative-for-democracy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.evanravitz.com\/vote\/","title":{"rendered":"The National Initiative for Democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"

A “PLAN B” WHEN CONGRESS DOESN’T REPRESENT<\/h3>\n

NOTE: Sen.Gravel’s project (below) has stalled, but you<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0can<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0subscribe to our\u00a0occasional\u00a0news, upper right. \u00a0There’s lots of good information on direct democracy below, and much more in my article Why Bernie Sanders Should Put Direct Democracy at the Top of our Agenda<\/a> \u00a0Gravel’s way of getting National Ballot Initiatives is still valid -and ANYONE could try it:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

How we’re getting Better and NATIONAL Ballot Initiatives<\/strong>
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\nLed by former US Senator Mike Gravel<\/a>, the National Initiative empowers us to check and balance representatives, similar to ballot initiatives<\/a> in 24 States, but at all levels from local to national and with major improvements. It gives us a “Plan B” whenever representatives don’t represent us. (Do perpetual wars and debt, domestic spying and bailouts for criminals represent you??) Direct democracy like this is both a strategy and a goal of the Occupy and other movements worldwide.<\/p>\n

People tried to get this power from Congress, both in 1907 and 1977, with no success. Gravel adopted the Founders’ solution: rather than beg the existing 13 Legislatures to ratify the Constitution, the Founders had delegates of The People ratify the Constitution at the Constitutional Conventions.<\/strong> James Madison said “The people were in fact, the fountain of all power, and by resorting to them, all difficulties were got over.”\u00a0<\/cite>(His 2nd response in the 1787 Debate<\/a>)<\/p>\n

For 10 years, from 2002 until 2012, Gravel \u00a0resorted to you<\/i> to read and vote to ratify the National Initiative, but never got enough attention and votes<\/strong>, to make real the promise of “government by the people.” The National Initiative consists of the brief Democracy Amendment<\/a> and the more detailed Democracy Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Real Leaders Agree<\/h3>\n

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