Regnat Populus 2012

http://www.regnatpopulus2012.com/

Regnat populus is the official motto of the State of Arkansas. As average Arkansans, we decided to use this phrase as the foundation for our attempt to bring the will of common citizens to bear on our state electoral processes.

This website will serve as a record of our organizational efforts. Among the benefits of living in the 21st century is the widespread availability of low-cost communication streams, such as this blog/website, Facebook, Twitter, email, online forums, and other forms of social media. We want to “go viral” with this effort to prove that “We, the People” still have a voice and that voice is not defined by how much money we have to spend on candidates and elected officials.

We are not anti-business. To hold such beliefs would be ridiculous as most, if not all, of us work or have worked for a “corporation.” However, we do not agree with the United States Supreme Court’s increasingly infamous “Citizens United v. Federal Elections Committee” decision which further entrenched the concept that corporations are people and declared that money is speech. We have come to recognize that the level of corporate influence on our government, especially at the state and federal levels, has become unbearable, threatening to drown out common citizens’ voices completely. We see our systems strain under the weight of lobbyist-induced deregulation, cuts to programs that help common people, corporate welfare and subsidies, and outright corruption and graft. We seek to change that structure and redistribute the weight so that legislation, regulations, spending and treaties enhance the ability of average citizens to achieve the American ideals of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, regardless of socio-economic status.

Many of us had long held beliefs that the influence of big money on our elections needed to be reigned in, but were unsure of how to go about creating the change we desired. The shifting of the national dialogue from “How do we slash government services to reduce the deficit?” to “How do we prevent Wall Street from creating another crash like 2008?” and “How do we address income inequality?,” prompted by Occupy Wall Street and other protest movements, forged our will and gave us the momentum to launch this ballot question committee. We are convinced that the time for this type of citizen-led effort is now.

The very foundation of a democratic system that should represent its citizens is at stake. We can no longer leave the integrity of the electoral process to “the experts” who have brought us to the brink of financial meltdown and have endangered the very stability of our nation. It is time for citizens to stand up and say, ”No, this corrupt system shall not stand.” It is time to leave the comfort of our living rooms and take action.
Will you help us? The greatest need to enact this reform costs nothing. It is your time. Please see the “Get Involved!” tab and let us know how you can help! We can also be contacted by sending an email to email@regnatpopulus2012.com, by “liking” our Facebook page, or by following us on Twitter at @RegnatPopulusAR.