We Are Who can Move Forward
In the last 20 years, 20 large companies have spent around 8 Billion dollars ($8,175,531,458 spent from 1998–2021) hiring lobbyists to influence policy. At the same time, 59 Billion dollars ($59,571,597,460 spent from 1998–2020) was spent on influencing federal elections. The stakes for winning are getting higher, and historically lax enforcement of insider trading can mean big earnings. It’s no wonder we are where we are: those in charge have structured the voting system and its laws to favor a two-party system because the payout for lawmakers is huge. Since 2014, the majority of lawmakers are millionaires. To keep things the way they are, political campaign advertising sends messages that the “other” is extreme regardless of one’s personal beliefs. This should not be surprising once you realize that broadcast news channels earn massive revenues by keeping people engaged and enraged. Furthermore, research shows that keeping people angry increases vulnerability to misinformation so we must take care to think through issues calmly, collaboratively and using data. Our two major parties spend millions to buy time for advertising in an attempt to tell each-other how to vote and how to think. People feel that way because the parties seem to actively shame those who don’t go along with the party. We have been convinced that this two-party system works in our favor, but let’s rethink that: we have started to elect people who are supposed to rubber-stamp what the party says — and face retribution if they don’t. We are electing parties rather than people. This is not what Democracy is about; our leaders should represent us, not a party.
We must face the reality that there are significantly more than 2 mindsets of people. We agree much more often than not, especially when it comes to common-sense things. We have learned so much in the last 20 years alone that we now face issues never imagined before. Access to information and the smartphone has given everyday people access to so much information; however, it has also created opportunities for rampant disinformation. We must now face the reality that there is a tangle of partisan groups and organizations that have financial incentives to keep things the way they are. These are the people who have amassed 12 trillion dollars during the pandemic. They work with candidates in both parties with lobbyists behind the scenes and have written legislation that will economically benefit them. What’s happening here? If you’ve been paying attention these last few months, we’ve cycled through some changes in major spending:
- There’s going to be $6 trillion in relief
- They agreed to 3.5 Trillion
- We’re thinking maybe like 1.75 Trillion perhaps
Across the country it’s terrorizing. Instead of any actual talk about solutions that could help people, it’s a headline grab because news sells. It gets some people angry and fearful of the “other”. For others, it burns them out and they stop paying attention or voting. A democracy works best when we’re all engaged — and voting is part of that.
For me, being with the Forward Party is a way to say that I believe we work better together. It’s a way to say that the current direction of both parties is not the way forward. It’s a way to say that we can make some actual change for the better. It’s a way to say that we have a choice to make about impacting real change.
There are two major components needed to start to accomplish this change: open primaries and ranked choice voting. I’ve talked about ranked choice voting briefly before. This voting idea is not without its critics. However, consider it’s major advantage: ranked choice voting ends up with higher voter turnout. This should not be surprising as you create an opportunity for voters to have their voices heard. Those who would not bother voting for one of “two top-tier candidates” who are political insiders with money would instead be able to vote for someone they truly want. Since voters now would be faced with up to 5 choices, they’d need to spend time understanding their individual differences, and that time up close with each candidate is beneficial. Instead of trusting or siding with a party, voters could understand and individually know their representatives.
The article I sourced as a critic earns $86 million in revenue, is affiliated with one of our two major political parties and is what’s called a “think tank”; think thanks write critiques or analysis pieces to support whatever argument they want using whatever data is available to support their claim. They are not scientifically peer-reviewed as they are generally interpreted as opinion. These “opinions” earn revenue because political parties can cite these in their messaging, such as: The XYZ Foundation finds that ranked choice voting is bad because we would be deprived of incredibly amazing two top-tier candidates. I find it quite interesting that they say we’re seeing “two top-tier candidates’’ as a reason to avoid ranked choice voting. Ranked choice voting would mean that our two major political parties would no longer wield binary power. Instead, we could change things to enable anyone to run for office, not just the wealthy and powerful. We would end up with multiple candidates that are able to debate individual ideas, not party-sided ideas. Instead of a strong swing to the left or to the right, democracy means debating all kinds of ideas and not being stuck in one direction. Democracy means that we can make new choices every election to change where we are headed. Democracy means being open to learning the lessons of the past and growing together for the future. This is the way forward: together.
In the Forward Party, we believe the direction should not be set in stone. We are ready to think about, talk about and try novel solutions. We’re also not afraid to admit when we have failed at something in the past; failure is a way to learn and grow. These two “top tier” candidates often seem to have either: lived in a socioeconomic bubble of prosperity and privilege; or sold their votes into a political party which rewards compliance. Many have never faced what it’s like to not know where your next meal will come from but instead seem to think about their next stock trade. They don’t seem to understand — or worse, don’t care — that there is a system that exists to protect the rich and powerful. They don’t think about ensuring that everyone has enough opportunity to thrive because they already have earned it for themselves.
If we truly wish to move Forward, we must be the change we want to see. Our hopes and dreams have come and gone and many have lost their trust in a system that no longer works for them. We should not shame other ideas but instead listen and engage together. We all bring life experiences that can add more and we all see the pain around us. Extremism isn’t going to solve anything. We must support those who think Forward. We must be those who move Forward. I’m ready to move forward; are you?
My name is Daniel Ferrara and this is my 3rd article I’ve written for Medium. I’m not well-known but I’ve been thinking about ideas for many years. I’ve spent my life dreaming of improving this country and using the knowledge I’ve gained through the people I’ve met to think of real solutions. Although I would love being able to have my voice represent those of my peers through an elected position, I enjoy being able to think about and write new political ideas. I hope to continue to write for the Forward movement and about my own experiences. I truly believe that we should know those who represent us. This is also why I am writing for you: I am planning to run for California State Assembly here in San Diego, California.
Although I grew up on a small farm in Tennessee, I have lived in San Diego for over 7 years and I am lucky enough to call this my home. I’m employed as a Software Engineer. I’ve always been some sort of engineer and through my experience I have learned the value of data. Companies are spending billions investing in data and crafting machine learning models to generate products and develop solutions to all sorts of problems. I believe we should start doing this in governance. We should be utilizing data to propose new ways to solve problems. For example, our current elected leaders barely understand cryptocurrency or it’s potential implications in society. How can we expect them to regulate these new ideas? It’s time for a new generation to make a change.
One issue close to my heart is homelessness. I strongly believe that we have a moral obligation to ensure that no one is homeless and hungry and should spend more time figuring out a solution — particularly when it can be economically beneficial. We won’t solve all problems overnight but let’s spend more time using data to search for these new solutions.
I have always branched out and once again I find my drive to do so. Although I am officially registered as a Democrat, I very much consider myself a Forward Party member and don’t find that the label “Democrat” has any particular significance for me; unfortunately, switching to “Independent” may end up disenfranchising us. We simply exist in a two-party dominated system that we currently use to elect our leaders and must abide by its current rules. If we want to get rid of this two-party system — which I believe we do — we need to begin to allow more than just two parties to participate. I mention once again: I believe that begins with two very important concepts: ranked choice voting and open primaries. Beyond that, there are some core values which guide my views which I hope to expand upon in the following months: we must have financial transparency from our elected leaders to ensure no back-room deals; we need to figure out how to give everyone more opportunities; and as long as you’re not hurting or planning to hurt anyone else, you should be allowed to do what you want.
California is undergoing a redistricting process now which will affect the 2022 election maps. As I stated before, I plan to run for California State Assembly and if the current proposed maps stand, this would be the district I am running in approximately (See pg 98 for exact district proposal):
Final maps are due at the end of the year; I won’t be able to finalize even knowing what district I am eligible to run in until then. Including time needed to capture signatures, registering to run in this election has an early March 2022 deadline.
This is an extraordinary short time period and I work a full-time job. In spite of obstacles, I have always been one to push forward. In many ways, Andrew Yang has inspired many of us to give up on the idea of keeping the system we’re given. As a software engineer, I come from a world where data drives decisions. Ideas aren’t timeless and as we learn new information, we reconsider our ideas. We have learned and grown as a Democracy. It’s time once again to consider the next change. Instead of a system that benefits a duopoly with loyalty to a party, we should return to talking about who it is we are electing. I think we owe it to ourselves to know who represents us and to be able to engage in conversations with them. At the end of the day, we all have problems that we feel need to be solved, and we all have ideas on how to solve those problems. What if instead of spending time campaigning in infinite attempts to be re-elected, our leaders had “office hour” times where you could, as a constituent, make a call and talk about issues with your representative even if you didn’t donate? What if you could give live polling feedback to your elected representative about how you feel on issues? If you’re looking for identity politics, move on; this simply isn’t me. I am a human with a genuine compassion for all and truly believe that many of us want the same things. I enjoy spending time contemplating ideas and solutions that solve bigger problems rather than carving out benefits for small groups. We should be using data to understand the impact of what we’ve done and model the potential outcome of changes we may make. When you need to solve a problem, you search for problem solvers: you search for engineers.
Over these next few months, I will be writing my ideas, focusing on ideas I have for California. As much as I would like to write more often, I work full time and enjoy spending time with my family as well. If you’ve read this much, you understand that I also know I don’t have all the answers. I enjoy engagement and hearing your views. I also can make mistakes: so please contact me if I do. Lastly, if anyone would like to volunteer to help, feel free to reach out as well. Email at mathpolitics@gmail.com, follow me at @mathPolitics on Instagram or comment on this article.
