John Cox and the Neighborhood Legislature Initiative

On February 26, 2014, Cox played guest speaker to the Peninsula Harbor Republicans group at the Los Verdes golf club, where he outlined his initiative proposal to get the money out of politics and return the power back to the people.

Political Activist
John Cox

A Cook County, Illinois native, John Cox grew up in Chicago. “There are Republicans in Cook County”, he assured his audience. Despite the liberal background of his parents (mother was a Chicago public school teacher; his step-father was a postal worker), Cox moved to the right, supporting free markets, free enterprise, and individual liberty. Following his education and service as an attorney, Cox moved to Florida then California to further his real estate career. Despite the massive downturn in the national fortunes, and particularly in California, Cox made his home in sunny California, finding out  what he was missing out on.

After sharing about his political activities (he ran against Obama three times for state office), Cox introduced his new initiative, entitled the Neighborhood Legislature initiative, which would expand the number of  California’s elected legislators from 80 to 8000 assemblymembers and from 40 to 4000 state senators.

When Cox had first  introduced the plan on the Jon and Ken  Show, they shouted a collective “What?!” After thirty minutes with the tough-talking conservatives, they endorsed the idea as one of the greatest they had ever heard.

So, why send more people to Sacramento? Critics may ask.

Actually, the voters will not be sending more lawmakers to Sacramento, but instead each current state senate and assembly district would be divided up into one hundred neighborhoods, representing between 3,000-5,000 people.

Instead of grasping for funds from labor unions, interests groups, and big corporations, individual candidates will only have to reach three thousand voters. Big money isn’t necessary to win, since candidates will can knock on doors, sit in living rooms, and talk with voters.

Where did Cox get this idea from? “Live Free or Die” New Hampshire, where 1.5 million residents send 400 representatives to the legislature every year. Everyone know everyone else in their separate districts. The people who run for office include retired professionals and stay-at-home Moms who have raised their kids and now want to raise the standard of living for their communities and the state.

Some points worth considering about New Hampshire. The most swing of swing states and highly influential in Presidential politics, the state boasts no general sales or income tax. Also, least restrictive gun laws, and the right to revolution is codified in the state constitution! A libertarian paradise, New Hampshire likely owes its limited government to the massive army of legislators who keep a check on power.

So, how would this Neighborhood Legislature work in California?

Cox explained that in every district with one hundred neighborhood reps, the elected officials (each receiving a one thousand dollar stipend) would elect one member to go to Sacramento. Will the lawmakers in the capital would write laws, they would then pass the bills to every local legislature in the state, and nothing would pass onto the Governor’s desk without a majority vote from all 12,000 representatives.

Smaller districts would require local leaders to engage their voters, know their names, and in turn encourage voters to get involved, since casting a vote out of a few thousand can be more influential than competing among millions of voters, and wondering the whole time whether your vote really counts or not.

Wouldn’t money still influence the process?

Cox referred back to New Hampshire, where big spenders don’t have a big influence in elections. “Voters look at you funny” if you spend lots of money. “Why would I vote for someone who sent me a mailer when another candidate knocked on my door?”

A pattern for real representative Democracy, Cox argued that the Neighborhood Legislature initiative would be the biggest transfer of power back to the people since 1776.

Any reform which promotes individual involvement while diminishing the power of pay-to-play politics can’t be a bad thing. California definitely could use reforms which frustrate power at the top by expanding it at the bottom.

For more information on the Neighborhood Legislature initiative, please visit

NeighborhoodLegislature.com

Please contact:

John Cox

847-274-8814

john@neighborhoodlegislature.com

 

Walker’s Wisdom to GOP: Focus on Ousting Dems

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is no stranger to controversy, nor to making tough decisions with fractious colleagues to accomplish great reforms.

After his election in 2010, financial strains on the Dairy State’s budget forced the governor to reform the collective bargaining rights of public employees. The global, unionized backlash flooded Madison and instigated Democratic lawmakers to flee the state, thus attempting to deny Walker and the state legislature’s Republican majorities the quorum to pass Act 10.

Walker worked with every member of his party, and maneuvering pass illegal challenges, they passed the key reforms which fired up limited government activists, distraught conservatives, and Tea Party affiliates.

Walker and four state senators faced a recall because of measures, yet he survived, keeping his GOP caucus together as strongly as they could. He defeated the recall in 2012, with his party winning back strong majorities in Madison later that year.

Governor Walker has recognized the peril of dissent within a party’s ranks, yet brought together every member to promote the future welfare of the state Wisconsin.

With this background in mind, the Wisconsin Governor appealed to all members of his party to work together against Democrats first before holding members within the party accountable for not towing the platform accurately.

Walker: Guest on
Mike Huckabee's talk show

Speaking with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Walker confirmed his agreement that Republicans not  focus on taking down other Republicans.

“Well, your exactly right for a lot of people, especially many of the people who helped elect us share our concerns. The Federal government is too big, too expensive, too much apart of our lives.”

Leadership is all about consistent messaging, and defining the goals as well as the opposition. Not indicting Republicans, Walker lays out of the platforms of the GOP, and encourages everyone to stand tall on it.

Walker recalled the victories of the statewide Republicans:

“In 2010, we not only elected Republican governors, we elected Republican majorities in our legislative bodies, and that made all the difference. We not only won, but we got big, bold reforms done. Why? Because we had a Republican team in place. In Washington, we don’t have Republicans leading the way on true reform. The focus should not be focusing on fighting Republicans in primaries for the house or the senate.

 I submit that much of the disorder in Washington starts with the fact that Tea Party candidates swept the majority in 2010, and the Establishment leadership did not take into account their drive for reforms beyond the rhetoric. The Republican Party in Washington D.C. is facing more growing pains than the statewide caucuses because unlike the several states, the federal government still gets to print fiat money ad infinitum to paper over the national debt. Pushing against federal interest groups is a near impossibility without unity. Besides, the Republicans only control the House, and no party can govern from one half of one branch of government.

GOP Big Wins
Across the Country

But at least they can prevent the other party from promoting their own, unconscionable policies.

Huckabee returned to Walker’s efforts in Wisconsin, asking if he would have accomplished anything if he had to fight his own party.

“No not at all. I think’s that true with what happened in Michigan, with right to work. It’s true in reforms you see across the country, where republicans lead state legislative bodies and hold governorships. We had help from the Republican Establishment, form a lot of grass roots, the Tea Party – we’re going to help  you put power back in the hands of the people.”

One more time, Walker emphasizes the many good things accomplished by his Midwestern, conservative colleagues. He puts the focus on the taxpayers, the people, and praises the three groups which liberal interests and media bias want to distract and divide: the Republican Establishment, the grassroots, and the Tea Party. While the Tea Party is learning the importance of organized, tactical efforts, the Establishment is learning that they cannot stray from principle, and the grassroots is learning to organize ally these somewhat disparate (though hardly desperate) influences.

Despite his disagreements with the latest Ryan-Murray budget compromise, Walker shared:

The real answer is not to attack Republicans who pushed for reforms in the house.

But he maintained a respect for the diligence which Americans have for their leaders, when they do not pay attention to their duties in office and their constituents abroad:

After in a year from now, if Republicans hold the Senate and the House, and they still get nothing done, then it’s time to hold people accountable.

Get Republicans in office,
then hold them accountable.

Exactly. Get the right people in office first, then get the right people to do the right thing.

Republican unity for limited government, local control, individual liberty, and fiscal discipline cannot be put aside in 2014 as partisans chase away the best candidate in the pursuit of a good one. Walker’s example as governor and his statements as a guest commentator should engage all conservatives, disaffected as well as disinterested, to fight against the opposition Democratic Party this year, take back the US Senate, and hold the newly-installed Republicans members to the party standard in the next.