The Fun Theory

This site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.

The Fun Theory award winner - The Speed Camera Lottery
Idea: Rewarding Speed Limit Signs - Submitted by Kevin Richardson (USA).

Can we get more people to obey the speed limit by making it fun to do? The idea here is capture on camera the people who keep to the speed limit. They would have their photos taken and registration numbers recorded and entered into a lottery. Winners would recieve cash prizes and be notified by post. Better still, the winnig pot would come from the people who were caught speeding.



Use the above link to read and view all the finalist.









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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New York Ballot Access Bills

Thanks to Ballot Access News for this post.

Two bills are pending in the New York legislature to decrease the number of signatures needed for petitions. Assembly member Barbara Clark (D-Queens) is the lead author of both bills. A2939 would cut the number of signatures in half for all types of petitions, both those to get candidates on a primary ballot, and those to get a candidate on the general election ballot. For example, the statewide petitions would drop from 15,000 signatures to 7,500. A2939 has six co-sponsors.

Clark has also introduced A3664, which only cuts the number of signatures for a candidate for U.S. House in the general election, from 3,500 signatures, to 2,000.

Another bill would provide privacy for people who sign ballot access petitions. A847 says “No person shall post or publish or permit the posting or publishing of any document obtained under any provision of this chapter that contains copies of original signatures except in connection with a review of such signatures for the purpose of objecting to a petition.” The authors are Audrey Pheffer (D-Far Rockaway) and John McEneny (D-Albany).

On the New York City 2010 General Election Ballot, the Charter Revision Commission put on the ballot as one of the question to voters' "Ballot Access: Generally reduce the number of petition signatures needed by candidates for city elective office to appear on a ballot:

The charter change would reduce from 7,500 to 3,750 the number of signatures required to be collected by candidates for Mayor, Public Advocate, and Comptroller to appear on the primary ballot or the general election ballot. It would also reduce from 4,000 to 2,000 the number of signatures candidates for Borough President would need to collect to appear on either ballot. Lastly, it would reduce to 450 the number of signatures required to be collected by candidates for City Council to appear on either ballot, down from 900 to appear on the primary ballot and 2,700 to appear as an independent candidate in the general election. It passed 731,152 to 144,364.

Also on the ballot was a Term Limit change from three terms to two. It also passed 733,858 to 257,001.









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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National Conference of Independents in New York City in 2011

We will be holding a National Conference of Independents in New York City on Feb. 12, 2011 at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. It will be hosted by CUIP political director Jackie Salit.

Independents from over 38 states will gather for a day long event featuring an in-depth look at how independents can increase visibility and influence in the political process. Use the above link for more information.



The program highlights are:

New Documentary
Watch the premier of the latest political documentary by Jackie Salit, the President and Founder of IndependentVoting.org. This multimedia presentation covers the impact of the independent movement on the Obama White House, on Congress, on the political parties and on a cross section of political forces. This cutting edge documentary is a great introduction to independent politics. It explains the relevance of the independent movement to urgent social, economic and cultural problems in America.

Talk/Talk
Hear a "Talk/Talk" conversation with Jackie Salit and Dr. Fred Newman, the Stanford-trained philosopher, playwright, author and pioneer of independent politics. Talk/Talk is a Newman/Salit specialty - think Charlie Rose, Oprah and Aristotle all rolled up into one!

Panel Discussion
Moderated by Jackie Salit and General Counsel, Harry Kresky

The panel includes:

Theresa Amato, Ralph Nader's Presidential Campaign Manager in 2004
John Avlon, Senior Political Consultant, Founder, No Labels
Lenora Fulani, Co-founder, independentvoting.org
Michael Hardy, General Counsel, National Action Network
Douglas Schoen, pollster and author
Abel Maldonado, former Lt. Governor of California
James Mangia, Executive Director, St. John's Well Child & Family Center; Founding Secretary, National Reform Party
Cathy Stewart, Chair, New York County Independence Party
Bradley Tusk, Founder, Tusk Strategies; Campaign manager Bloomberg 2009

Mock Trial
Are you a fan of Law and Order, The Good Wife, or even Judge Judy? If so, you don't want to miss this. We will be staging a mock trial to explore a fictional (but not improbable) "people vs. the parties" controversy. A cast of prominent civil rights and election lawyers, actors, elected officials, and a famous "surprise witness" will stage a courtroom trial and in the process shed light on the growing conflict between parties' rights and voters' rights.

Dispatches from the Movement
Get the inside scoop from leaders on what's happening on the ground, behind the scenes, in the hallways of power and on the street corners, as independents intensify their efforts to enact structural political reforms like open primaries across the country. This is independent politics straight from the source.

Discussion and Dialogue
Conference attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the days' proceedings in an open mic session, not to mention the chance to meet and mingle throughout the day.









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Whose Open Primary Do You Want?

When we talk about Open Primaries, I am sure it has a different meaning to each of us. Here is samples of the difference I am talking about:

Independent voters will be able to request either a Democratic or Republican ballot for Charleston city primary on March 8. But until late last week, city voting rules for independents were anything but clear. After reading state code and checking with the state's two main political parties, City Attorney Paul Ellis said Thursday that independent voters will -- for the first time -- be able to vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary. So if I want to vote as an independent I can only select one or the other major parties candidates that were preselected for me. But there are candidates from each party and some from minor parties, independents, and write-ins I could vote for. I am in a box not of my choosing.

Then there is the truly Open Primary where all candidates are on one ballot and I as a voter can decide which candidates meet my criteria to warrant my selecting them. I would then want to use Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) to allow me to select as my first selection a favorite son or daughter, vanity candidate, or write-in, but still be able to select viable candidates on my other selections. This would then result in the top two selected candidates to go to the General Election. The winner should then have been selected with all the voters taking part in the political process.

To make this really work, we need to restructure the ballot access laws to allow anyone who wants to be a candidate the opportunity to give the voters their chance to use their voice to pick candidates that appeal to their ideas. This could take the form of reducing the number of signatures needed and/or reducing any filing fee to get on the ballot.

Without these changes working together, we will not change the political status quo.









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Polar Bear Plunge 2011

WWP was founded in Roanoke, Virginia by a group of veterans and friends who took action to help the injured service men and women of this generation.

My financial advisor, Lance Drucker, is part of the Wounded Warrior Project. This is the second year that Lance and his friends plunged into the Atlantic to generate money for the project. In total he raised $6,000 from friends and clients, and as promised he will personally write a check for an additional $6,000 to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.



Use the above link to find out more about the Wounded Warrior Project.

Use this link: Drucker Financial Group for more information about Retirement Income Specialists.









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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The Two-Party System is Making America Ungovernable

Thanks to Ballot Access News for this post.



TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2011

Reception:5:45 - 6:30PM
Debate:6:45 - 8:30PM

NYU Skirball Center
566 LaGuardia Place
at Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
Tickets:$40 ($12 for students w/ ID)

Intelligence Squared is a forum that gathers together experts to debate public policy, every month. The moderator is usually John Donvan, an ABC News correspondent who was once ABC’s White House Correspondent. The debates are held in New York City and can be heard on National Public Radio and seen on Bloomberg TV.

The February 15 debate is titled “The Two-Party System is Making America Ungovernable.” Speaking in the affirmative are David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, and Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post. Speaking in the negative are author Zev Chafets and satirist P. J. O’Rourke.

Use the above link for more information.









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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National Conference of Independents in New York City in 2011

We will be holding a National Conference of Independents in New York City on Feb. 12, 2011 at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. It will be hosted by CUIP political director Jackie Salit.

Independents from over 38 states will gather for a day long event featuring an in-depth look at how independents can increase visibility and influence in the political process. Use the above link for more information.












NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Break the Two-Party Monopoly

How to do this will take many forms. There are minor parties, third parties, independent movements, better ballot access for candidates and write-ins, and opening the primaries to all voters.

A new effort is taking shape to open the primaries to all voters and in providing the access to the ballot for minor party and independent candidates. Here in NYC we are trying to get Non-Partisan Municipal Elections on the ballot again. We first got in on the ballot but lost by a 2 to 1 margin but we think the conditions have improved. We failed last year to get the Charter Revision Commission to put it on the 2010 ballot. But we will try again.

With Top-Two/Open Primaries passing in CA., more states are looking at this option to allow all the states' voters to take part in the Primary Election. Also happening around the country is the fight to keep open primaries from becoming closed by the two parties.

The Open Primary issue has two elements to look at:

Who Pays

We are starting to hear this issue from Alaska to NY. If we can not vote in a closed party selection system why does all the state voters have to pay for the running of these closed systems? Isn't that "Taxation without Representation"?

If one-third of the voters are neither Republicans nor Democrats, then why does the state of Tennessee pay for party primaries to pick party nominees?

In some 39 states with presidential primaries, taxpayers pay out millions to run a vote that helps the two major parties select their nominees.

Why should government pay for partisan primary elections? Political parties are private organizations, like the AARP or NRA or most big corporations. Such groups conduct leadership elections on their own. Why shouldn't political parties do the same? On the flip side, why should unaffiliated voters -- a big majority -- be forced to fork over millions to nominate candidates in what may be a skewed system? Perhaps they shouldn't. Political parties have every right to make their own rules and govern their own affairs. They have every right to select candidates any way they like. They can raise funds and spend. But why should all the taxpayers be forced to pay?

If these are IN FACT party elections or caucuses, why is the taxpayer in my home state of Idaho (and yours?) paying for them? If Independents cannot vote in them (as is a partial focus of the Idaho case) why then should those citizens pay for the costs of those party elections? Also, since a Party is a corporation and certain new rights have recently been accorded to corporations by the US Supreme Court, how can a Party expect to nominate from among its members, candidates, and expect the taxpayer to foot the bill?

How it is Run

To create a system to answer all the Supreme Court issues, I would create a system with these features:

1. All Candidates selected by their parties paid for system, ballot accepted new minor party candidates, independents, and write-ins are on one ballot.

2. There is two boxes. One optionally indicates the Candidates registered party. The other optionally indicates all endorsements.

3. The Top Two go on to the General Election.

A possible additional element could be IRV. This would allow the first selection of a favorite son or daughter, vanity candidate, etc. and also reduce the cost of running the primary.

What do you think is a way to Break the Two-Party Monopoly?









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Congressional Reform Act of 2011

I just got a pass-on email about this topic. So here is the pass-on:

Term Limits

12 years only using the possible options below..

A. Two Six-year Senate terms

B. Six Two-year House terms

No Tenure / No Pension

A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

Congress purchases their own retirement plan

Just as all Americans do.

Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise

Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

Congress loses their current health care system

Participates in the same health care system as the American people.

Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!! If you agree with the above, pass it on.

I might not agree with all these points but I agree it could be the beginning of a conversation as a change is needed.









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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