The adage goes, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This is one of the beliefs of philanthropist
Mike Mann’s new political party, the
Better Government Party. He created the party for people who believed the current two party system is corrupt and doesn’t represent today’s people. This new party and government will be based on transparency, trust, and accountability.
Mike Mann Mann acknowledges there are other options for voters, other independents and third parties. Voters don’t take them seriously because “they aren’t educated on their brand”. People don’t have faith or confidence in their current options. Mann knows all about branding. Even though charity and volunteerism are his priority, he realized he couldn’t afford to do just charity work. He made his first million in business online. His corporations, Phone.com, DomainMarket.com, and SEO.com were listed among the 2012 Inc 500 fastest growing companies. Mann is also the author of
Make Millions, Make Change, a book showing people they can make money in order to better serve people.
Mann is a Washington DC native and former lobbyist. His mother worked for the EPA and his father defended cases before the Supreme Court. “I know a lot about politics and how politics work,” he said. What might separate Mann from any other millionaire venturing into politics is his wanting to support the weak, poor, and sick. “Everything bad goes back to not enough job training and good education,” he says. If people are trained well, they’d be able to support themselves. He’d change education so people would graduate with more hands on experience and job training.
The Better Government Party wants a highly internet based and electronic government. This would lead to more interaction and more accessibility, for example, real time town hall meetings. They would leverage modern ideas using social media. This does cater to a younger generation. “There is a growing class of concerned young people who feel dismissed by the current two parties,” Mann says. Change takes time and Mann is realistic about his goals. He has a twenty year plan in place. He’s garnering interest from people in Hollywood, Washington DC, and several business leaders. One of the next steps is holding a convention where they can establish their core ideals and create a constitution. Mann hopes the Better Government Party will have the majority in Congress after twenty years.