Eleven Demands for Real Democracy

(That’s right these demands go to eleven!)

Pass laws for Clean Elections and public financing of campaigns in every state
Enact a Constitutional Amendment that says:
– Corporations are not people
– Money is not speech
Regulate campaign spending and lobbying
Investigate and prosecute corruption at all levels of government
Ban “revolving door” politics (investigate/prosecute companies that use jobs as bribes; disallow former high-ranking employees serving as representatives or lobbyists)
Demand radical transparency for all representatives and agencies

Make the minimum wage a real living wage
Provide housing for all (via social housing, cooperative ownership, and housing-first programs)
Create public food pantries
Implement federal job guarantees to provide good jobs at a living wage
Protect Social Security and expand benefits
Mandate paid parental leave and sick days
Eliminate student loan debt and provide free public college
Ban predatory lending and enact real debt relief for the 99%

End support of all governments that engage in settler colonialism and genocide
Cut the military budget by at least 20% every year
Disband NATO and reform imperialist foreign policies
End sales of military weapons by U.S. companies
Replace military jobs with federal/green jobs
Repeal the USA Patriot Act, the Espionage Act of 1917, the AUMF of 2001, and similar laws
Prohibit intelligence agencies from conducting propaganda and intrusive surveillance operations against the American people

Provide reparations for ADOS, via a solution that treats them as what they are: A debt owed
End mass incarceration and address the root cause of crime: Poverty
Cut police budgets and reallocate the resources to the community
End the Wars
Demand that unjustified shootings of unarmed individuals result in the firing of police-department officials in the chain of command, up to and including the police chief/commissioner; and demand the resignation of the mayor
Address the brutal treatment of Indigenous peoples, with land-back programs and other solutions
Implement law enforcement transparency and accountability

Protect freedom of speech from censorship, whether from government or corporations
End the prosecution and persecution of whistleblowers and journalists
Break up and nationalize large media corporations; reorganize them as employee-owned and governed
Apply common-carrier-style rules, similar to those for communications companies
Disallow deletions and deplatformings except via a due process that is transparent, fair and democratic
Prohibit government agencies from using big-tech companies for back-door censorship
Regulate algorithms that impact user interactions, and open them up to public scrutiny
Prohibit all non-consensual collection of personal data (except through proper search warrants)

Make all voting machines and software open source and auditable by the public
Implement ranked-choice or STAR voting systems
Promote and expand ballot initiatives in all states
Open up ballot access and debates to all candidates, regardless of party affiliation
Enact the National Popular Vote system to fix the electoral college

Abolish all taxes except for highly-progressive income taxes, wealth taxes, and taxes on large corporations
Use the tax system as a tool to address wealth inequality
Eliminate tax loopholes
Prosecute (and potentially expel) persons and corporations that abuse offshore tax havens
Charter a network of state-level public banks to benefit local communities and businesses
Issue federal currency to promote the public good, not increase private profits

Provide federal funds and incentives for employee-owned and controlled businesses
Enforce anti-trust laws; break up monopolies and large corporations
Promote and support labor unions as a key step toward worker-owned enterprises
Mandate that all publicly-traded companies reserve board seats for employee representation
Transition companies that provide essential services into democratically-controlled utilities