The USA is Lesterland: The Nature of Congressional Corruption Paperback – February 19, 2014

This book is head and shoulders above most. Short on pretty pictures, emotional stories and other fluff, but long and deep on strategy, documentation and thoughtful comment.For those who believe that the paramount public policy issue of our time is the current failure of Congress and our federal government to properly represent the interests of the broad majority of US citizens due to the way we currently structure and finance our political system, this book is a "must read" and a "keeper".As the movement grows to rescue our republic and restore appropriate representation for its citizens, Professor Larry Lessig and the ideas he expresses in this book, are destined to play an important part.

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How we have ended up with a government that serves the donor class rather than the majority.

This message of this book -- how money influences the political process and that it can be changed.The point of "Lesterland" is that there are 150,000 people named Lester. What if they had special influence on elections? Well, there are 150,000 people (people with a lot of money) who DO have special influence on elections. That is his point.I don't love Lessig's writing style or the metaphor of "Lesterland". But the message is crucial. Our democracy has been corrupted. The people need to work together to reclaim it. This is not a partisan issue. The money is blocking sensible reforms that both the right and left and center would like to see.One other thing I don't completely agree with is that he argues we can have meaningful reform without amending the Constitution to overturn the Citizens United v FEC Supreme Court decision.But even if we do need to amend the Constitution, we can do that. 16 state legislatures have called for an amendment. About 80% of Americans support this in polls. The people just need to get involved so their voices can be heard.

Through a series of precise and even-handed arguments, Prof. Lessig dissects the symptoms and causes of corruption in Congress, and then one powerful solution: an Article V Constitutional Convention. It is notable that one such convention almost occurred in the 1980s to resolve expanding national debt and deficits.As this books shows, there is a cycle in which lobbyists provide campaigning funds, members of Congress depend on this daily and monthly, and then draft legislation that feeds profitable industries. The democratic process is skewed and the value of citizen votes is diminished.However, even if a Constitutional convention banned large money donations directly from donor to politician, voter turnout at high levels would still be needed. Yet that is the very thing which is lacking now, and which alone could make the current mode of government work far better.