RegainAmerica: Thoughts, Motivations and Current Status
RegainAmerica began as a memory of the way things used to be in America, and the belief that by working together we can regain this greatness. It’s a collaborative workgroup / authoring environment and information portal dedicated to promoting positive change on the local, state and national levels.
The first phase will enable members to openly express their concerns on issues that matter to them. More importantly, the goal is to create a platform where people can freely exchange ideas and views and collaborate to drive real change. Later, we will launch a government information portal focusing on laws, lawmakers, and financing at all government levels, starting with the federal level. User-friendly analytics will help visitors quickly and concisely understand their government, the laws passed, and their representatives’ performance. This new virtual town square will empower people to unite, challenge the current status quo, and Regain America.
Information Portal
Getting up to date information on what is happening in Congress and other government bodies can be difficult and very time consuming. How are your representatives doing and are they voting in a manner consistent with why you voted for them? Are they honest or are they there more to profit off the grift machine? Are they showing up and voting or frequently absent? What trends can be inferred through their voting, attendance, and financial history?
Most voters don’t have the time or patience to closely follow what is really happening in Congress and beyond. To do so is a full time job, clearly not practical for most. Instead they rely upon headline news snippets to fill in the gaps of their busy lives. One cannot blame most for not understanding what is really happening in the country, trends, and what their elected officials are really up to as they simply don’t have the time, energy, or desire.
Most information is available to the public, but very disconnected and not in an easily understood form. Even very good government tracking sites such as govtrack.us have a difficult time putting the pieces together and summarizing in a concise and easy to understand way. This is where RegainAmerica can help. By building our own web scraping tools, AI agents, private AI models, and automated analysis tools voters will be able to understand the government landscape without having to devote their life to the task. Cross reference links and the ability to drill down on all data will provide the transparency to ensure the data and representations remain honest and trustworthy.
Groups
Groups are where members sharing similar interests work together towards their common goals. The purpose of these groups is to get things done and actually effect changes in government rather than just talking about them. The work output can be whatever the group decides is appropriate for a given problem. It could be a petition, email campaign to relevant lawmakers, media exposure, boycott coordination, new counter legislation, etc. Or any combination of the above.
We provide a collaborative authoring environment and supporting tools to facilitate working together effectively and efficiently. These are separate work spaces with different levels of isolation (public, private or hidden). Members can communicate among themselves through on-site messaging, forums, and through the joint document authoring system. Future upgrades are to include file sharing and project management tools (group specific). External links to legislators and other interested parties may also be included. Groups that work collaboratively often share greater resources, communicate better (more focused) and produce joint content faster and more efficiently.
Project Scope
This is a very big project. Not just in the building of our own private AI models and infrastructure, but also in the tool creation, monitoring, and automated publishing of the data. Initially focusing on Congress – the people, voting records, common financial data over time for both representatives and the effects of bills and other data specifically tied to members of Congress. Just this would provide a much needed service, but is not enough.
One eventual goal is deep analysis into money flows to members and their families. This includes direct and indirect financial instruments such as layers of corporate structure. Current techniques in this area are not up to the task though. Another major goal is deep analysis into campaign funding. Who, why and how much is this tied to member voting? Expanding this to cover State and eventually the County, City and local levels will be challenging.
At the end of the day the goal is for any American to be able to just ask what have my elected officials, as they relate to me, been up to and what do they really stand for? The information can be queried online or members can subscribe to personalized email newsletters providing periodic updates. Simplifying and improving the reliability of staying informed about government activities is essential. People should be able to do this in their spare time, not as a full-time commitment.
Pause in Development
Work on RegainAmerica is on hold for now. With division in the country reaching new lows and seemingly getting worse by the day, it is unclear if our approach will be effective at this time. Online political forums for the most part have become ugly battlegrounds where insult and slander rule the day. We don’t have the resources or desire to be the playground cop for groups of nasty misfits. Hopefully in time this will change.
So What Happened?
The deeper we engaged in political discourse, the more repulsive it grew. America now faces greater division than perhaps ever before. Forces within the government, media, and education relentlessly amplify these rifts, create new ones, and actively work to undermine the Republic from within. The color of your cap—red or blue—merely marks your side of the battlefield. Partisan talking points fuel the conflict, overshadowing the core values that built this country and the issues that matter to most Americans striving to earn an honest living and raise their families. Many on both sides have lost sight of what it means to be American, to collaborate, live together, and support their neighbors. Blind hate has filled that void.
Where Is The Government?
So where is the government through all of this? Doing what they do best – dividing and setting one group against another, defining new groups when necessary. Some just call this politics. Both parties do it, then retreat to profit from the spoils of war. Have you ever met a career politician who cares more about the country and people in their district than he does about his own political and financial gain? I haven’t. I’m sure a few exist, most likely hiding among the unicorn population.
And the media? They are more than happy to pander to whatever side they are on a given day. Journalistic integrity – there still are a few honest journalists around but precious few seem to work for the mainstream media (MSM).
The Symbiotic Conspiracy
Politicians and media have developed a symbiotic relationship. As long as they move in lockstep with each other, they all get rich together. It has been this way for decades but it seems nobody really wants to fix the situation. Nobody has come up with a workable solution on how to actively reign in this abuse and regain our country.
So how has someone who wants to help people make things better become so cynical? After more than 20 years of following the clowns in DC play the non-stop games of scandals, blaming each other for everything, promising great change and then wasteful spending of more and more of your money, I finally realized that nothing ever changes. The process is the game, and as long as the clowns playing the game make money, there is no incentive to change anything.
OK, one could make the argument that I’m not the brightest bulb in the room when it comes to this stuff, but I have honestly been hoping and praying for positive changes. I wrongly believed that our officials were for the most part honest and trying to do the right thing. Deep down we all tend to believe what we perceive as true, even if it isn’t.
The Great Swamp Draining Project
These ‘clowns’, often referred to as ‘the swamp’, exist in both parties. They thrive on chaos and will die on the proverbial hill to defend it. And why wouldn’t they – it is the basis for their power and financial wealth. The problem is our perception of government being good and looking out for our best interests is usually not correct. The clowns play the game by their own rules, not ours or what most of us would considered to be decent and ethical.
The blue team tends to be more brazen and likely to resort to illegal activities such as violence. The red team is not much better. They just employ a more passive-aggressive approach to the game. At the end of the day both sides need and feed off of each other. Perhaps it is time to toss the donkeys and elephants out and replace them with true Americans with ethics and a love of the Constitution. Until that happens only the corrupt politicians will be laughing. So who in this case are the real clowns? How much longer will we continue to serve in the red and blue armies of ‘useful idiots’ run by the political class?
So How Do We Retake Our Country And Make Things Better?
The Great DC Poop Show (GDPS) has evolved over several generations, with ‘progress’ accelerating rapidly in the last 20 years. It didn’t emerge overnight, and no single solution can dismantle it. In my view, one person or project alone won’t make a significant dent. Does this mean we should lose hope and surrender? Absolutely not, but the challenge looms large. Too many long-standing issues exist to cover here. I’ll briefly highlight a few that top my list. Your priorities might differ—that’s fine, as long as we tackle fixes one project at a time. I’ll order my list by difficulty and perceived priority.
Vote And Become Actively Involved
Those orchestrating the GDPS want us to believe the country is warring with itself—Reds against Blues. Americans must awaken and realize that the Government and Media Cabal do not act as our allies, scheming behind our backs and withholding the truth. This contradicts what we grew up believing, making it a tough shift, but a necessary one. Most Americans, regardless of their cap’s color, work hard, strive to raise families, and aim to build a positive future.
Do we agree on every issue? Of course not—that’s just human nature, true for everyone. Disagreeing doesn’t make someone evil or deserving of destruction; it simply means they hold different views. This diversity is valuable. We must unite and return to a place where we can sit down and discuss our differences. We won’t always agree, but today, we rarely get the chance because everyone seems like a mortal enemy. When we can’t find common ground, we head to the ballot box to elect representatives who share our values and advance them on our behalf.
Americans must engage more actively for this to succeed. I feel most Americans grow too complacent and fail to invest time in understanding what happens in their communities, states, or at the federal level. For some, this makes sense—raising a family leaves little time for sleep, let alone civic engagement. For others, the relatively comfortable lifestyle many Americans enjoy becomes a barrier. Why bother tracking the GDPS or people I dislike when I perceive no impact on my life or family? In reality, people must participate, take time to grasp what’s truly happening, and act based on truthful, honest information. Relying solely on headline news (propaganda) from the mainstream media (MSM) guarantees a distorted view of how your world operates, how your money funds government actions, and how these decisions affect your life.
This isn’t an easy task. I dedicated nearly 20 years, spending half my days tracking the GDPS. What did it yield? Beyond frequent upset stomachs and deep contempt for the GDPS, it permanently altered my view of Washington, D.C. I trust only a handful of politicians there, even those who vote in line with my beliefs. I see most politicians (not all) as opportunists, swaying with the political winds, saying or doing anything to cling to power and fuel the grift machine driving the GDPS. This includes their televised tantrums over their latest pet issues. I view most MSM outlets as partisan hacks, not journalists, and distrust them. They’d be more honest registering as political action committees (PACs) than pretending to report real news.
Fortunately, most people shouldn’t need decades to come around. Organizations like ours, along with many others doing valuable work, can spread the word faster and provide tools for people to understand events in a trustworthy, verifiable way. Even sources I trust face my personal bias filters as I analyze what’s really happening. Never rely on a single source—especially third-party reporters. Any child questions their mom when she claims, “The veggies taste great!” Kids spot a fib—why can’t adults do the same with the “news”? I’ve always believed RegainAmerica could contribute here, but the timing feels off. Or perhaps I’m overlooking something fundamental.
Only after citizens become well informed can they make informed decisions. At this point we all need to become more involved. At a very minimum make sure you get out and vote in all elections. Research the candidates and in the case of incumbents check their voting record. Are they voting for bills that protect criminals or are they trying to protect citizens? Are they voting on bills that will result in massive spending with no apparent benefit to Americans? Do they even know what they are voting on? Have they actually read the proposed regulations and are able to discuss it? How often do they simply not show up to vote at all?
How many are there just go get rich, and how have they made their fortunes? Nobody gets rich off a government base salary unless your name is Fauci (and I suspect even he had alternate revenue streams). So many of us vote by name recognition only. If we have heard the name before, they must be doing something right, no? This is why so many politicians try to make names for themselves through wild acts or supporting what many would consider nonsensical positions. When it comes to voting you recognize the name, even if you don’t remember why. They’re fighting hard for what they ‘believe’ in so they have to be good, no? Rubbish.
And one should always look at the background of candidates. Being able to tend bar for instance is a noble profession, but one for me at least does not scream “I’m qualified to make economic, military, or any other kind of legislative decisions for others.” And I’m not trying to single out our favorite ex-bartender. At least she proved that she could hold down a job and provide a service to her employer. So many career politicians can’t say the same. What does this tell you about the quality of those in office there to represent your interests? Get informed and vote accordingly!
Political Parties
The two main political parties claim they alone truly represent the people, uphold democracy, and possess the honesty and integrity to lead the country. They clearly think we’re fools. Then there are their mascots. I can somewhat grasp the Republican Elephant—a majestic, intelligent animal with a remarkable memory, at least in my mind. But the Democrat Donkey? It conjures images of a stubborn, foolish creature. Surely they could choose better. At least it’s not a jellyfish—a spineless party—though that label could honestly fit either party today.
We must take action. Beyond the issues raised earlier, people widely view politicians from both parties as inept, corrupt, and unable to accomplish meaningful work for their constituents. The current Trump administration shows promising signs with non-Congressional appointments unlike any I’ve seen before. They appoint individuals who aren’t career politicians and have proven track records in their fields. The DOGE initiative exemplifies this and feels long overdue. While it’s too early to predict long-term outcomes, this administration has launched with unmatched speed and effectiveness compared to any in recent memory. Meanwhile, Congress stalls.
With the Republican Party’s recent transformation, it might evolve into the MAGA Party—true Republicans minus the all-talk, no-action politicians. The Democrats appear to be imploding, lacking clear direction. I’m unsure where this leads or if they can recover. We need at least two strong parties to balance each other, so I hope the Democrats either reform their party—also shedding the do-nothing politicians—or reinvent themselves entirely. Either way, I hope they adopt a better image than the broken donkey. Most likely, though, nothing will change, leaving us with the same dysfunctional parties. This makes staying informed and voting wisely even more critical.
Congressional Revisions
One could write multiple volumes on this subject. With only a few paragraphs in this already lengthy document, I’ll share just a few ideas. RegainAmerica aimed to create a platform where people could discuss an unlimited range of issues, not just one writer’s initial perspective. I still hope the country unites enough someday for people to embrace this vision.
First, I take issue with the grift in Congress. Many perceive most members of Congress as corrupt, pocketing money under the table. Their widespread wealth increase suggests no other explanation. We must implement strict controls to monitor money flowing to these members, linking it to legislation they influence. This oversight should include their immediate and extended family members, as well as any domestic and foreign companies they hold interests in. If they refuse to comply, they should seek another profession. Many believe bills pass only after money laundering and kickback schemes solidify. This approach fails to govern responsibly and never ensures wise use of taxpayer money. By eliminating the easy avenues for legislators to exploit the American people, we could remove their primary incentive for holding office—a positive outcome. Reducing government fraud should lower taxes for an overtaxed nation.
Second, new bills under consideration often brim with so much pork that few can decipher them. Pork typically signals wasteful bills or ones benefiting only a small group, unable to pass on their own merit. Congress should limit bills to one main topic, excluding unrelated provisions. Bills must remain reasonable in length, with a mandatory cooling-off period proportional to their length, giving members time to read, comprehend, and debate the content. Legislators who fail to read or cannot discuss proposed bills should not vote on them. Those unwilling to invest the time to do their jobs properly should lose voting privileges on related bills. Congress must publish voting records clearly for all to see—while most data exists, its scattered nature makes it nearly incomprehensible.
I also believe members must pass a competency certification before influencing legislation. At minimum, this should test basic civics, economics, and introductory legal concepts. They should obtain this certification before serving in Congress and renew it annually.
Next, we must impose term limits. While addressing this, we should also reconsider tenure and impeachment procedures for federal judges.
Finally, Congress must establish robust mechanisms to uphold ethics and enforce consequences for members who violate these standards. This includes honoring their oath to the Constitution and refraining from blatant lies or misrepresentations to the American people or government. While politicians occasionally stretch the truth, I refer here to the flagrant deceit now all too common. Our Republic has no room for this, and we must swiftly remove legislators who betray our trust.
Where Do We Go From Here?
We need a way to wake up the American people to what is really happening and the truth. Only then is there any hope that they may decide to become more involved and work together to change things for the better. Any approach must be based in HONESTY, TRUTH and ACCOUNTABILITY with appropriate and real CHECKS and BALANCES. Information must be freely available and easy to obtain and verify. Without the American people rising up together there will be no substantive changes. And without a viable and trustworthy source of information and real public square I just don’t see the American people uniting behind any common cause.
So how do we tackle this apparent chicken-and-egg dilemma? I honestly don’t have the answer but welcome all suggestions. We thoroughly understand building such a platform from an operational and technical standpoint. Our team has constructed enterprise-grade systems for years and successfully established support organizations, including email, online, and call-center services. We grasp web-based community platforms well and already have a working and scalable network foundation. We can quickly bootstrap technical, support, analytics, and other back-end functions. While AI infrastructure deployment remains in its early stages, we understand it reasonably well, though, like most companies, we still have much to learn.
The missing piece is a viable revenue model. We could, in theory, establish this as a non-profit, relying on public or private donations to operate. However, depending on public funds controlled by the very politicians we aim to hold accountable feels impractical. I prefer to create a commercial entity with robust, genuine checks and balances and a revenue model that not only funds the organization’s initial development but also grows as it gains traction. The revenue model must sustain itself. If you have ideas or want to collaborate on these goals, reach me at tim@regainamerica.com.