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= The Concord Principles =

== An Agenda for a New Democracy ==

By RalphNader, June 5, 2002

Control of our social institutions, our government, and our political system is presently in the hands of a self-serving, powerful few, known as an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy oligarchy], which too often has excluded citizens from the process.

Our political system has degenerated into a government of the power brokers, by the power brokers, and for the power brokers, and is far beyond the control or accountability of the citizens. It is an arrogant and distant caricature of Jeffersonian democracy.

Originally written in 1992, ''The Concord Principles'' sets forth ten arguments of how democracy has been abused, and the constructive tools that citizens can use to regain their rightful participation in their own destiny.

* '''First:''' Democracy must empower and enable citizens to obtain timely and accurate information from their government, to affirmatively facilitate citizens in banding together in civic associations in pursuit of a just society, and to communicate their judgments through modern technology.

* '''Second:''' The American people should have reasonable control over the public lands, public media airwaves, pension funds, and other societal assets which the public legally owns, as a commonwealth, rather than having these public assets controlled by a powerful few.

* '''Third:''' We need modern mechanisms so that civic power for self-government and self-reliance can correct the often converging power imbalance of Big Business and Big Government that seriously weakens the rights of citizens and the democracy.

* '''Fourth:''' Citizens should have measures to ensure that their voting powers are not diluted, over-run, or nullified. Such measures include easier voter registration, state-level binding initiatives and referendums, public financing of campaigns, and term limits for elected officials not to exceed 12 years.

* '''Fifth:''' Citizens must have full legal standing to challenge in the courts the waste, fraud, and abuse of government spending and corporate abuses. Overly complex, mystifying jargon in our laws and procedures must be simplified and clarified so that the general public is not shut out from readily understanding and challenging them. Citizens should be accorded computerized access in libraries and in their homes to the full range of government information.

* '''Sixth:''' Inserts in billing statements from monopolized utilities, financial and insurance companies should invite consumers to join consumer action watchdog groups. The public, which owns the tv/cable/radio media airwaves, which are leased for free to large commercial businesses, should have its own <no>/Audience</no> Network/ to inform, alert, and mobilize democratic citizen debate and initiatives.

* '''Seventh:''' Effective legal protections are needed for ethical whistleblowers who alert Americans to abuses or hazards to health and safety in the workplace, or contaminate the environment, or defraud citizens. Such conscientious workers need rights to ensure they will not be fired or demoted for speaking out within the corporations, the government, or in other bureaucracies.

* '''Eighth:''' Working people need a reasonable measure of control over how their pension monies are invested, rather than it being controlled by banks and insurance companies.

* '''Ninth:''' Shareholders, who are the owners of companies, should not have their assets wasted or worker morale victimized by executives who give themselves huge salaries, bonuses, Wikipedia:greenmail, and golden parachutes, self-perpetuating boards of directors, and a stifling of the proxy voting system to block shareholder voting reforms. Workers, consumers and local communities should have representation on the Board of Directors of large multinational corporations.

* '''Tenth:''' Our country's schoolchildren need to be taught democratic principles in their historic context and present relevance, with practical civics experiences in their communities to develop their citizen skills and a desire to use them, and so they will be nurtured to serve as a major reservoir of future democracy. At the university levels, facilities should be available for self-funded student civic action associations with full time staff.

The Concord Principles outlines the tools for enabling a better informed and strengthened civic participation by citizens in their roles as voters, taxpayers, consumers, workers, shareholders, and students. All office holders, candidates, and activists should adhere to these principles in their campaigns and in whatever public offices they may hold so that citizens are in a position of knowledge, strength and wisdom.

----

= The Concord Principles =

== An Agenda For A New Initiatory Democracy ==

By RalphNader, February 1, 1992 

Whereas, a selfish oligarchy has produced economic decline, the

debasement of politics, and the exclusion of citizens from the

strengthening of their democracy and political economy;



Whereas, this rule of the self-serving few over the Nations

business and politics has concentrated power, money, greed, and

corruption far beyond the control or accountability of citizens;



Whereas, the political system, regardless of Party, has

degenerated into a government of the power brokers, by the power

brokers, and for the power brokers that is an arrogant and distant

caricature of Jeffersonian democracy;



Whereas, Presidential campaigns have become narrow, shallow,

redundant, and frantic parades and horseraces which candidates, their

monetary backers, and their handlers control unilaterally, with the

citizenry expected to be the bystanders and compliant voters;



Whereas, a pervading sense of powerlessness, denial, and

revulsion is sweeping the Nations citizens as they endure or suffer

from growing inequities, injustice, and loss of control over their

future and the future of their children; and



Whereas, we, the citizens of the United States, who are

dedicated to the reassertion of fundamental democratic principles and

their application to the practical, daily events in our Nation, are

committed to begin the work of shaping the substance of Presidential

campaigns and of engaging the candidates attention to our citizens

agendas during this 1992 election year;



Now, therefore, we hereby present the ensuing "Concord

Principles" to the Presidential candidates for the 1992 election and

invite their written, consistent, and continual adherence to these

principles during their entire campaign and in whatever public

offices and responsibilities they hold or may hold upon cessation of

their campaigns;



First, democracy is more than a bundle of rights on paper;

democracy must also embrace usable facilities that empower all

citizens



<ol type="a">

<li>to obtain timely, accurate information from their government;



<li>to communicate such information and their judgements to one

another through modern technology; and



<li>to band together in civic associations as voters, taxpayers,

consumers, workers, shareholders, students, and as whole human

beings in pursuit of a prosperous, just and free society.

</ol>



Second, the separation of ownership of major societal assets

from their control permits the concentration of power over such

assets in the hands of the few who control rather than in the hands

of the many who own. The owners of the public lands, pension funds,

savings accounts, and the public airwaves are the American people,

who have essentially little or no control over their pooled assets or

their commonwealth.



The American people should assume reasonable control over the

assets they have legally owned for many years so that their use

reflects citizen priorities for a prosperous America, mindful of the

needs and rights of present and future generations of Americans to

pursue happiness within benign environments.



Third, a growing and grave imbalance between the often

converging power of Big Business, Big Government and the citizens of

this country has seriously damaged our democracy and weakened our

ability to correct this imbalance. We lack the mechanisms of civic

power. We need a modern tool box for redeeming our democracy by

strengthening our capacity for self-government and self-reliance both

as individuals and as a community of citizens. Our 18th century

democratic rights need retooling for the proper exercise of our

responsibilities as citizens of the 21st century.



Fourth, the new democracy tool box contains measures for the

purpose of protecting voters from having their voting powers diluted,

over-run or nullified. These measures are:



<ol type="a">

<li>a binding none-of-the-above option on the ballot;



<li>term limitations, 12 years and out;



<li>public financing of campaigns through well-promoted

voluntary taxpayers checkoffs on tax returns;



<li>easier voter registration and ballot access rules;



<li>state-level binding initiative, referendum, and

recall authority, a non-binding national referendum

procedure; and



<li>a repeal of the runaway White House / Congressional

Pay Raises back to 1988 levels—a necessary dose of

humility to the politicians.

</ol>



Fifth, the new democracy tool box strengthens taxpayers who wish

to have a say in how their tax dollars are being used and how their

taxpayer assets are being protected. These objectives will be

advanced by according taxpayers full legal standing to challenge in

the courts the waste, fraud, and abuse of tax monies and taxpayer

assets. Presently, the federal judiciary places nearly

insurmountable obstacles in front of taxpayers, thereby leaving the

task to the unlikely prospect of government officials taking their

own government to court.



Further, a facility for taxpayers banding together can be

established by a simple taxpayer checkoff on the 1040 tax return,

inviting taxpayers to join their national taxpayers association which

would be accountable to members on a one member-one vote standard.



Finally, obscure, overly complex, mystifying jargon pervading

federal tax, pension, election and other laws and procedures is a

barrier to taxpayer-citizen participation. The language of these

laws and procedures must be simplified and clarified as a matter of

national priority; otherwise, only special interests hiring decoders

will be able to participate while the general public is shut out.



Sixth, the new democracy tool box strengthens consumers of both

business and government services by according them:



<ol type="a">

<li>computerized access in libraries and their own homes

to the full range of government information for which

they have already paid but are now unable to obtain,

either inexpensively or at all;



<li>facilities in the form of periodic inserts, included

in the billing or other envelopes sent to them by

companies that are either legal monopolies (for

example, electric, gas, telephone utilities) or are

subsidized or subsidizable by the taxpayers (for

example, banks and savings and loans). These inserts

invite consumers to join their own statewide consumer

action group to act as a watchdog, to negotiate and

to advocate for their interests.



A model of this facility is the Illinois Citizen

Utility Board which has saved ratepayers over $3

billion since 1983, and filled the consumer chair

before utility commissions, legislative hearings, and

courtroom proceedings on many occasions.



This type of facility costs taxpayers nothing,

costs the carrying companies or government mailings

nothing (the consumer group pays for the insert and

there is no extra postage) and is voluntary for

consumers to join. Had there been such bank consumer

associations with full-time staff in the 1970s, there

would not have been a trillion dollar bailout on the

taxpayers back for the S&L and commercial bank

crimes, speculations, and mismanagement debacles.

These would have been nipped in the bud at the

community level by informed, organized consumer

judgement. So too would have costly and hazardous

energy projects been replaced by energy efficient and

renewable power systems; and



<li>Citizen consumers are the viewers and listeners of

television and radio. Federal law says that the

public owns the public airwaves which are now leased

for free by the Federal Communications Commission to

television and radio companies. The public, whose

only option is to switch dials or turn off, deserves

its own Audience Network.



The Audience Network would enhance the

communication and mobilization process between people

locally and nationally. The owners of the airwaves

deserve a return of their property for one hour prime

time and drive time on all licensed stations so that

their professional studios, producers, and reporters

can program what the audience believes is important

to them and their children. The proposal for

Audience Network, funded by dues from the audience-members

and other non-tax revenues, was the subject

of a Congressional hearing in 1991, chaired by

Congressmen Edward Markey.



Similarly, in return for cable company monopoly

and other powers, cable subscribers should be able to

join their own cable viewers group through a periodic

insert in their monthly cable billing envelopes.

Modern electronic communications can play a critical

role in anticipating and resolving costly national

problems when their owners gain regular usage, as a

community intelligence, to inform, alert, and

mobilize democratic citizen initiatives. Presently,

these electronic broadcasting systems are

overwhelmingly used for entertainment, advertising

and redundant news, certainly not a fair reflection

of what a serious society needs to communicate in a

complex age, locally, nationally, and globally.



<li>Access to justice--to the courts, to government

agencies, and to legislatures--is available to

organized, special interests, and they widely use

these remedies. In contrast, when consumers are

defrauded, injured, rendered sick by wrongdoers or

other perpetrators of their harm, they find costly

dollar and legal hurdles blocking their right of

access. They also find indentured politicians and

their lobbying allies bent on closing the doors

further. Systems of justice are to be used

conveniently and efficiently by all the people in

this country, not just corporations and the wealthy.

Otherwise, the citizen shutout worsens.

</ol>



Seventh, the new democracy tool box for working people contains

rights of bringing ones conscience to work without having to risk

being unfairly fired or demoted. Ethical whistle-blowers have

alerted Americans to numerous abuses in the workplace that damage

workers health and safety, contaminate the environment, and defraud

consumers, taxpayers, and shareholders. However, they often pay the

penalty with the loss of their jobs. The exercise of conscience

needs simple, effective legal protections which will build inside the

corporation, government, or other large bureaucracies the incentives

for care, prudence, and accountability that foresee or forestall

larger harms.



Eighth, working people, who own over $3 trillion in pension

monies, need a reasonable measure of control over where these monies

are invested. Presently, a handful of banks and insurance companies

control and make these decisions. During the 1980s the use of

pension monies for corporate mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts

and other empire-building maneuvers showed what does happen when

ownership is so separated from control. Control by the few often

left economic wreckage behind in many communities, and such capital

draining takeovers did not produce employment or new wealth.



Pension monies are gigantic capital pools that can be used

productively to meet community needs, but not when their owners are

excluded from any organized participation or even the right to know

and review what has been decided.



Ninth, the new democracy tool box applies to recognizing

shareholder democracy as well. Whether large, small or institutional

shareholders (such as pension or other trust funds), the separation

of ownership (of the company) from control has been documented

impressively, starting with the celebrated study by Berle and Means

fifty years ago. The business press is filled with reports of

executives of large corporations repeatedly abusing shareholder

assets and worker morale with huge salaries, bonuses, greenmail, and

golden parachutes, (untied to company performance), self-perpetuating

boards of directors, the stifling of the proxy voting system and

blocking other shareholder voting reforms such as cumulative voting

powers and access to relevant shareholder lists and information. The

owners of corporations should be able to prevent their hired

executives from engaging in what "Business Week" called casino

capitalism that often ends with mass layoffs, loyal shareholders

losses and communities undermined.



Tenth, the new democracy tool box needs to be taught in its

historic context and present relevance as part of an engrossing civic

curriculum for our countrys schoolchildren. Involving all students

during their later elementary and secondary school education in

practical civics experience so as to develop both their citizen

skills and the desire to use them, under the rule of law, can enrich

schools, students, and communities alike. Where teachers have made

such efforts, the children have responded responsibly and excitedly

to the frequent surprise and respect of their elders. Schooling for

informed and experienced participation in democratic processes is a

major reservoir of future democracy and a profound human resource to

be nurtured.



In conclusion, these tools for democracy have fairly common

characteristics. They are universally accessible, can reduce

government and other deficits, and are voluntary to use or band

together around. It matters not whether people are Republicans,

Democrats, or Independents. It matters only that Americans desire to

secure and use these facilities or tools.



Without this reconstruction of our democracy through such

facilities for informed civic participation, as noted above, even the

most well-intentioned politicians campaigning for your vote cannot

deliver, if elected. Nor can your worries about poverty,

discrimination, joblessness, the troubled conditions of education,

environment, street and suite crime, budget deficits, costly and

inadequate health care, and energy boondoggles, to list a few, be

addressed constructively and enduringly. Developing these democratic

tools to strengthen citizens in their distinct roles as voters,

taxpayers, consumers, workers, shareholders, and students should be

very high on the list of any candidates commitments to you. Unless,

that is, they just want your vote, but would rather not have you

looking over their shoulder from a position of knowledge, strength

and wisdom.

Ralph Nader 

February 1, 1992