Politician Market, a New Website, Lets Ordinary Americans Buy Off Congress

Do you ever get upset that, as an ordinary American, you cannot simply pay Congress to pass the bills you support? If so, you're in luck. A new website, created by Natan Yellin, a programmer from Israel, plans to do just that! Politician Market aims to level the playing field for monetary donations and imagines "a better America, where anyone can buy politicians without the need for expensive lobbies." Now you can get together with friends and family and try to push through your weed-legalization bill without needing to hire lawyers.

Here's how it will eventually work: First, you add funds to your account on Politician Market. (They take credit cards and PayPal!) Then, you write a piece of legislation and submit it to Congress, along with a monetary pledge of support. If your reps or senators vote for the bill, they also get rewarded with your money, and everyone will be happier for it.

Right now, Politician Market is only allowing people to sign up for a "beta list," and is not actually taking donations. Yellin obviously intended it to be a well-timed joke, building off recent efforts by the tech community and Occupy Wall Street to raise awareness about the corporate control of Congress. If you look closely you will find a link to the Center for Voting and Democracy, and a quote from Thomas Jefferson about how a "true democracy treats all wealthy men equally." The site's contact form also reads, in part "If you must receive a reply, donate $500 and tweet @aantn. Really, this form doesn't even go anywhere."

[keyana.stevens | @keyanastevens]

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