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Direct Accountability reforms reduce conflicts of interest and self-dealing. The goal is simple: public power should not be a private investment strategy.
These policies focus on incentives and consequences. If officials can profit from inside access, loopholes will be "innovated" forever. So this section targets the behaviors that make corruption rational.
Step in the plan: Make consequences personal.
Why: If the payoff remains, enforcement becomes a game of whack-a-mole.
Prohibit members of Congress from trading individual stocks to eliminate conflicts of interest.
Why it's here: Members making policy decisions shouldn't profit from those decisions through stock trades.
What it unlocks: Clearer policy outcomes untainted by personal financial incentives.
Extend the cooling-off period before former officials can become lobbyists or work for regulated industries.
Why it's here: Current short waiting periods allow officials to trade access for profit almost immediately.
What it unlocks: Reduced regulatory capture and policy decisions made for the public, not future employers.
Strengthen consequences for corporations that commit fraud or violate the public trust.
Why it's here: Repeat corporate offenders face weak penalties that don't deter future misconduct.
What it unlocks: Real deterrence through meaningful debarment and accountability measures.
Ensure corruption and white-collar crime receive sentences proportional to their societal harm.
Why it's here: Current sentencing disparities create a two-tiered justice system that undermines public trust.
What it unlocks: Equal treatment under law and stronger deterrence for corruption.
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