Rather than fight the same tired battles that have dominated Washington for decades, it's time to try something new. Let's invest in our people without leaving them a mountain of debt. Let's meet our responsibility to the citizens who sent us here. Let's try common sense. (Laughter.) A novel concept.To do that, we have to recognize that we face more than a deficit of dollars right now. We face a deficit of trust -– deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years. To close that credibility gap we have to take action on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue -- to end the outsized influence of lobbyists; to do our work openly; to give our people the government they deserve. (Applause.)That's what I came to Washington to do. That's why -– for the first time in history –- my administration posts on our White House visitors online. That's why we've excluded lobbyists from policymaking jobs, or seats on federal boards and commissions.But we can't stop there. It's time to require lobbyists to disclose each contact they make on behalf of a client with my administration or with Congress. It's time to put strict limits on the contributions that lobbyists give to candidates for federal office.With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests –- including foreign corporations –- to spend without limit in our elections. (Applause.) I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. (Applause.) They should be decided by the American people. And I'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to correct some of these problems.I'm also calling on Congress to continue down the path of earmark reform. Applause.) Democrats and Republicans. (Applause.) Democrats and Republicans. You've trimmed some of this spending, you've embraced some meaningful change. But restoring the public trust demands more. For example, some members of Congress post some earmark requests online. (Applause.) Tonight, I'm calling on Congress to publish all earmark requests on a single Web site before there's a vote, so that the American people can see how their money is being spent. (Applause.)
Zachary Dinan on 01 Nov 10This article focuses on the theft intellectual property being a civil offense instead of a white collar crime, as inventor of clockwork radio Trevor Baylis believes. Baylis argues that, '"If I stole from you, then I would probably go to jail. But if I were to steal your intellectual property, which potentially could be worth billions of pounds, it would be only a civil case - and, even then, most of us can't afford to pay 350 an hour for a lawyer.'" Many other countries have made intellectual property a crime, such as Japan and the United States. The article points out many CEOs, artists, and inventors who are quoted in telling the power and value of an idea and of an invention. Despite this, UK authorities still believe that infringement of intellectual property is best dealt as a civil offense instead of a criminal offense. Baylis believes that "the inventor or entrepreneur will not gain true recognition" for there work if the UK places infringement as a civil offense.
