Philosophy Now Forum

Here is a new twist in Campaign Finance Reform which entails the government giving away money. Readers may find this interesting as a creative approach to solving problems:

See: http://www.seattle.gov/democracyvoucher ... he-program
.
Questions? Comments?

This summer Phoenix is experiencing 120-degree days far more frequently than usual. This causes needless stress which tends to make people quarrelsome. Los Angeles hasn't seen rain in quite a while. Years ago there would be a shower every evening there.

And here is a new "ethical technology" development of which you may not be aware:

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/busines ... 272381.php

Check it out! Read up on it.

This alternative clean energy is now so cheap that it pays to build plants in order to compress it, store it, and retrieve it by having it run turbines - with the wasted energy that implies. ...And yet still find it profitable as a business!!

Developments such as this will be disrupting the fossil-fuel industry. As a result, less carbon will be deposited in our atmosphere. There may be some relief in sight for L.A. and for Phoenix. (if we can nip in the bud some of the recent Climate Change.) To manage to do so is an urgent priority. It will be an achievement for Applied Ethics.

Comments?

prof wrote: ↑Sun Jul 02, 2017 8:38 pm Here is a new twist in Campaign Finance Reform which entails the government giving away money. Readers may find this interesting as a creative approach to solving problems:

See: http://www.seattle.gov/democracyvoucher ... he-program
.
Questions? Comments?

Minnesota has long had a program of public campaign financing. As I recall,
the voter can designate a maximum of $50.00 for a political party (not an individual candidate) on his or her tax return. The state gives the money, so it costs the voter nothing.

Below is page 16 from the report of the public board the administers the distribution of the public money:

6
Number of Committees Filing
Electronically (Numbers are
based on calendar year, not
fiscal year)
Reporting
year
Candidate
Campaign
Committees
Political Committees,
Political Funds, and
Political Party Units
2014 516 543
2013 479 526
2012 581 594
2011 327 237
2010 376 174
2009 292 154
2008 278 135
2007 201 114
2006 228 126
2005 174 75
Public Subsidy Payments The Board administers the distribution of payments for the state’s public
subsidy program, which provides public funding to qualified state
candidates and the state committees of political parties. Payments to
qualified candidates during the 2014 state general election were made
in fiscal year 2015.
Payments Made for the 2014
State General Election
To be eligible to participate in the public subsidy program, a candidate
must sign and file a public subsidy agreement with the Board in which
the candidate agrees to abide by statutory campaign expenditure limits
and to limit contributions by the candidate to the candidate’s principal
campaign committee. A candidate must also raise a specified amount
in individual contributions and file an affidavit stating that this
requirement has been met.
Overall 276 of the 312 candidates who filed for state constitutional or
state legislative office in 2014 (or 88.5%) voluntarily signed public
subsidy agreements.
The Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board distributed
$2,429,596 in public subsidy payments to 238 candidates in 2014 (fiscal
year 2015). The 238 candidates who received a public subsidy
payment represent 85% of the 281 candidates who were on the general
election ballot for those offices. The state senate was not on the ballot
in 2014.
Public subsidy payments made by office and party in 2014 were as
follows:
Office DFL RPM IPMN
Governor $541,158 $394,233 $0
Attorney General $90,421 $61,035 $44,155
Secretary of State $51,677 $34,878 $25,232
State Auditor $51,677 $34,878 $25,232
Total $1,382,110 $946,019 $101,464

Here is an interesting index I came upon. Is it fair to view this as "applied ethics"?

http://martinprosperity.org/content/the ... ndex-2015/

It tells about the 2017 Global Prosperity Index, based upon the research inspired by Professor Richard Florida. http://martinprosperity.org/about/the-institute/



This, too, The Binzagr Institute is an Institute for Prosperity dedicated to a Quality Life for all. Check it out:

Also see: http://www.binzagr-institute.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoeE3eS7rAU


Comments? Your impressions of these approaches to applying Ethics?