Corruption
Whether you look at the political contributions or the legislation that gets passed, we can see that our elected officials, with the help of corporations and their lobbyists, are more concerned with benefiting themselves instead of representing the people. Term limits, bans on the "rotating door" of lobbyists, and banning of stock ownership by members of Congress is just the start of undoing the harm that corruption has had on our system.
This video speaks for itself.
This video by RepresentUs explains the problem of corruption better than I can. So, I'll let them describe it.
What Needs to be Done
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Ban stock ownership by members of Congress and their families. Members of Congress not only have insider information, but they also pass legislation that effects the stock market. Even with the few laws in place regarding the reporting of stocks, members still violate those laws and get away with it. This needs to end.
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Ban the "rotating door" of lobbyists. Currently, members of Congress can leave their elected position and work for a lobbying firm for millions of dollars while still asserting influence in DC- in favor of major corporations. We need to prohibit elected officials from becoming industry lobbyists after they leave office.
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Ban political donations by lobbyists. Lobbyists have to register with the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate. Registered lobbyists should not be able to donate "bribe" our politicians.
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Require extensive conflict of interest laws. Stocks aside, Congress also passes legislation that benefits themselves and their families. Senator Joe Manchin, who himself is a partial owner of a coal company, and whose daughter was a CEO of pharmaceutical company, votes on legislation that enriches himself and his family. Members of Congress should divest their investments, or at the very least recuse themselves on votes that involve conflicts of interest.
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Prohibit "Copy and Paste" legislation. Currently, industry lobbyists can literally write legislation, and then give it to Congressmembers to turn into a bill, word-for-word.
The Anti-Corruption Act
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Click Here to learn more about the Anti-Corruption Act, sponsored by RepresentUs.