As elections come and go we hear more and more about how much money corporations
and politicians are spending to get us to do what they want us to do.
I am sick of seeing money thrown into the media outlets when it really could be better
spent on taxpayers. Wasn’t it our money in the first place?
So I am asking the corporations and politicians to give the money directly to me. I will
spend it well and try to fix some of the serious problems in my community, my state and
my nation.
|
The BOV-PAC Plan
Mission Statement
The Buy Our Vote – Political Action Committee (BOV-PAC) was
established to point out the ludicrous nature of the amount of money
spent trying to convince voters to cast their ballots a certain way or for a
particular candidate. We think that money could be better spent and
we are willing to spend it for you.
We will use donations to support and create local programs that provide
educational opportunities for students, fund the fight against
homelessness and poverty and work to solve other problems that tear
our communities apart.
The Money
The first ten million dollars collected through this website will be
divided in to quarters.
- 25% will go for administrative purposes.
- 25% will go to fund educational programs.
- 25% will go to fund the fight against homelessness and poverty.
- 25% will go to help solve other problems.
See the detailed list below.
All money after the first ten million dollars will be divided as follows:
- 10% for administrative purposes
- 10% to establish an endowment to continue this project
- 25% to fund the educational programs
- 25% to fund the fight against homelessness and poverty
- 30% to help solve other problems as listed below
The PLAN: A detail of proposed expenditures of the first ten million.
25% will go to me to be used for administrative purposes.
- If I am to run this project right this will become (more than) a full
time job. I need a good place to work from and I need to hire
people to help me.
- I insist that anyone who works for me earns a living wage and has
sufficient health care to protect their families.
- An office staff of four will be sufficient to run the BOV PAC.
- We will establish ourselves as a 501c (3) non-profit.
- A (small part-time) research staff may be added
- We will need computers and other associated office equipment –
including a budget for a website and mailings.
- Our jobs will be to inform the public of waste in political
campaigns and get big corporations and politicians to use their
money wisely and responsibly.
- Any donations given to us rather than wasted on senseless
politicking will be spent as follows ...
25% will go to fund educational programs:
- support a stronger arts education program (visual and performing)
- provide books and other school supplies for schools and individual
students
- fund field trips schools could not otherwise take.
- support school to work programs to better prepare students for the
workforce
- support parents in their efforts to support their students in school
- work with community groups
- give teachers extra money to buy the things they need for their
classrooms
- after school programs (and summer school programs)
- ...and more
25% will go to fund the fight against homelessness and poverty:
- support homeless students while in educational programs
including helping them get into colleges and providing housing
- support shelters and work to create more resources for those
shelters
- open more temporary shelters for women and families
- work with mental health facilities when needed
- create job skills training specific to community needs
- address drug and alcohol addictions prior to placing participants
in any program
- ...and more
25% will go to help solve other problems:
- address concerns about minimum wage jobs at local and state
levels
- address concerns about housing prices with local governments
- create job skills training specific to (all) community needs
- help immigrant parents develop English language skills
- create and support work not welfare programs
- develop a plan to help all parents take more responsibility for their
children and their children’s education
- HIV/AIDS education and prevention
- develop a program to promote sexual responsibility
- support and create micro-finance (Grameen style banking) in
California and the United States, then beyond
- and more
The FAQ:
Are you qualified to run such a large organization?
Yes! I have been a classroom teacher at the middle school level for the
past five years. I am responsible to protect my students in every way as
well as teach everything including my subject: Art. I am also expected to
develop and implement curriculum for middle school students with
varying academic and social skill levels. I teach students to master basic
art skills and develop creative and critical thinking skills. I manage a
well-disciplined effective classroom environment while working with
parents, school support staff and other teachers to optimize student
success. I have a maximum of 37 students per class. I currently have 8
classes (I see 4 classes a day) with nearly 300 students.
Prior to teaching (while attending college full-time) I worked as an
Editor/Researcher and along with one other employee co-managed an
office with 16 adult employees who worked as field interviewers. I
supported the interviewers in their efforts to gather accurate
information for efficiency studies on Calworks (the California welfare to
work program) and SSI (an income supplement for persons with
disabilities).
I also worked as a Caretaker/Neighborhood Liaison in a socio-
economically depressed neighborhood where the working poor lived
along-side the drug dealers and addicts (two blocks away from the
house where I grew up). My job was to build and maintain relationships
with neighbors, help to provide a stable influence in the neighborhood,
clean and maintain the house and yard and assist neighbors by helping
them to: build healthy lives free from substance abuse, build self-
esteem and become self-sustaining through employment.
There is certainly more. I will be happy to share in person if we ever
meet.
What is your political affiliation?
I am a registered voter. I have voted regularly since I turned 18. I do not
donate to political campaigns, because I think that is a poor use of my
money (but I think you have figured that out). I prefer to work to
improve this state and this nation, rather than pay someone else to do
it. That is one of the reasons I choose to become a teacher – I serve my
country everyday.
As far as my political beliefs, I value low taxes, limited government,
strong defense, free markets, personal responsibility, and individual
liberty. I believe in fixing things myself and not waiting for (or
expecting) the government or someone else to do it. I think all
Americans should work together, regardless of their political party or
affiliations. I support organizations that support all Americans equally.
How will you spend our Money?
I will spend all money donated as detailed above, unless a donor wants
all of their money to go to one type of program – education, for example.
When making a donation you can give me instructions. If you do not
give me instructions, I will divide the money as stated above.
Do you really think anyone will give you that kind of money?
I don’t know? But what if they did? Between January 01, 2006 and
October 26, 2006 $121,647,176.55 was raised to support or defeat
California Proposition 87. This was just one of the items on the ballot.
8.5% of that money would more than fund my program. Imagine what
we could do for our communities with 8.5% of all of the money spent
(wasted) on politics?
Aren’t you just creating the thing you hate so much?
NO. For now, the BOV PAC is just me. If it grows, as laid out in the plan
above, it will still be a ‘small group of dedicated people working to
change their world.' (*) We won’t waste our time and effort trying to
support or defeat politicians or propositions. We will simply go get
things done. We will find what needs to be fixed in our communities
and work to fix it. We will develop a model that other communities can
use to improve their surroundings. We will educate ourselves and our
neighbors and attempt to lift all of us up together.
How can I help?
Donate! - Not just here, but to organizations in your community that
are working to help people and make life better for all Americans.
Spread the word! Donate! Get involved in your own community! Find a
group that is doing something that you believe in and join them in their
efforts.
How do you have time for all the things you want to do?
I am single and I love to work.
How do you know all this stuff?
I have been paying attention! Looking around me and watching people
all of my life and trying to figure out how I could make things better, for
myself so that I could dedicate myself to helping others. I am doing a lot
now, but I know I could do more. There is a whole lot I don’t know.
There are a lot of people who have more expertise than me, but they are
not all working together. Some of them are duplicating what others are
doing. We need to be united in our efforts. If we are more efficient, we
can better serve our community.
(*) "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." —
Margaret Mead
The original idea behind
Buy Our Vote!
Put YOUR money where your
mouth is!
I listen to the news every day as I
drive to and from my teaching job. I
work with middle school students –
300 of them to be exact. On the
news I hear countless stories of big
corporations and small politicians
spending ridiculous amounts of
money to buy our votes. I try to pay
attention, to get informed and stay
informed, but each side has a great
argument for why their way is the
best and I find myself drifting. I
hear the numbers floating around
and I think of all of the things that I
could do with the money they are
wasting trying to convince me of
something.
My first thoughts, of course, are of
taking care of myself. With a few
million dollars – mere pennies to
these guys – I would never have to
work for money again. I could
finally pay off my astronomical
student loans and maybe buy a
little house to plant a garden of my
own. I could make the minor
repairs to my six year old car that
would keep it from falling apart on
me or perhaps buy a more fuel-
efficient hybrid car that would be
friendlier to our environment.
There might even be money left in
my bank account at the end of the
month.
I realize, however, that I am a bit of
a workaholic, as are most teachers
I know. So, I think a few more
million dollars and I could set up
college funds for all 700 students
at my school. In the four to six
years before they would be ready to
begin college that money could
grow significantly. I could set up a
fund to help their parents get job
training to improve their
employability so that they would
make more money and be able to
spend more time with their
children. Of course, this would
result in better behaved students
who are more interested in their
own education, in their
community and in their futures.
Why Stop! There is a homeless man
who greets me every time I go
downtown. He asks for food or
money and I have none to spare.
What he desperately needs is a
shower, which he could get if he
had a roof over his head. I know
that there are plenty of shelters in
the area he could go to, but the
truth is they are over crowded and
over burdened. They are
understaffed and under funded. If
those corporations and politicians
would throw a few more million my
way, I could attack this problem,
too – at least in my city.
There is more. There always is! So
my challenge to the corporations
and politicians is to quit wasting
time and money – yours and mine.
Give all of that money to someone
who will do something good with it
– me. Let me find caring people
who want to fix this state and help
us do it. Put YOUR money where
your mouth is!
Back
Donate: