Free The Return of Elliott Eastman by Ignatius Ryan Page B

up to me. I’ve had my people conduct a poll recently. It was a phone call survey to five thousand families across the nation. The margin of error is 3 to 6%. 73.3% are in favor of the basics of this plan, with 18% undecided and 8% against it. When we included the Social Security funding portion of it the numbers changed dramatically. 92.7% approved of it with 3% against it and 3% undecided. I feel safe in saying that assuming the President runs on this platform you are almost assuredly looking at a president who will win a second term quite handily. Lastly my economic team is exploring the possibility of a National Referendum. This is the age of the Internet, Facebook, Twitter and others. A National Referendum could be completed more easily than at anytime in history. We don’t have the answers yet, but it’s looking like a simple yes or no text response may be sufficient, rather like voting for ‘Dancing with the Stars’. A National Referendum, or even the threat of one, should motivate Congress mightily because it hits them where it hurts. It hits them in the smug assumption of their power. It hits them by bypassing them completely and taking the questions directly to the people. The American people deserve better than they have received in the last thirty years as Congress has kowtowed to the power of the corporations. It is time for change, and the time is now.”
    “A National referendum, or a direct vote by the people, was addressed eloquently by both James Madison and Thomas Jefferson during the constitutional debates,” spoke up one of the scholars, Martin Wheeler. “They both spoke of the tyranny of the majority. If the majority is uninformed and out of control they might pass laws that dramatically upset the very nature of government.”
    Elliott spoke softly, for he was feeling a little light headed and queasy. “True, and yet Herodotus wrote of a mere six Roman families owning most of North Africa, so we know when the people have no voice it can go the other way and lead to a great concentration of wealth and power much like we’re seeing take place today. An informed electorate can and should be trusted to keep the economy and the government on an even keel.”
    “Still, it will be difficult to get Congress to pass such a bill,” the scholar responded.
    The Treasury Secretary chimed in. “I should think a referendum won’t be necessary. I think someone along the lines of Paul Rand would be willing to endorse such a bill and put it before Congress.”
    A low murmur of laughter rippled through the assembly.
    “I suppose, but simply the push to initiate a referendum should give them impetus to consider the bill we are proposing. You may be selling our electorate short my friend,” Elliott responded. “D’Toqueville in his diaries wrote that even in the 1820’s, when traveling to the smallest town in the remotest regions of the Ozarks, the common man could speak eloquently regarding the current affairs of the nation. I think you’ll find when the electorate truly believes they have a voice, a true stake in the outcome of an election, they will surprise you with how well informed they are.”
    The President spoke up. “I like it. We’ll send the bill to the House once the wording has been finalized, but at the same time start the wheels rolling. I’ll have my staff prepare a reasonable and wide reaching array of defense budget cuts, including a serious cut in the overseas bases and our funding for Egypt, Pakistan and the lot of them. I trust I can have the backing of those present?”
    A stinging silence greeted his request and Elliott felt his ire getting the better of him.
    “You think the status quo is going to get us anything but the same trash we’ve put out for the last twenty years?” he asked. “We need to take bold steps. Our country and particularly our government is slowly becoming the laughing stock of the world. All we are is empty rhetoric and lawgivers controlled by corporate