Good for you and your compatriotes Alex! May I only underline that access, as you describe it, seems not a matter of the type or the size or the nature of contituencies. The only thing that can allow a representative to serve a low number of people and thus to know them is a high number of representatives. Some geographical proximity can help, but as I said often, there is no need that the people you serve are exclusively the one that can vote for you...
Whatever, I am glad for you. Stephane Alex Small wrote : > We've had some discussion of "closeness to the representatives." I'd like > to add a personal anecdote: > > Last November (2002) I discovered a minor identity theft on my credit > report. The identity theft had occured more than 4 years earlier, but the > statute of limitations in California was 3 years, according to the > Sheriff's detective. It was too late to do anything legally, except add > another report to the suspect's dossier. > > I wrote to my Assembly member, and suggested that she extend the statute > of limitations. She introduced a bill to do that, and I opened my > newspaper this morning (7/23/2003) to see that her bill passed unanimously > and was signed by the governor on Monday night. In the article she cited > my letter as the reason why she introduced the bill. From now on, the > statute of limitations will be 3 years from the time the identity theft is > discovered, not 3 years from the time it occurs. > > I'm pleased by this outcome, and I'm glad our legislative districts are > small enough that an ordinary person can get the attention of a > legislator. I don't mind huge constituencies in one house of a bicameral > legislature, but I hope we always have one house with smaller > constituencies. Whether those small constituencies are single-member of > multi-member (or even geographic vs. virtual) is immaterial to me, access > is what matters. > > Anyway, I'm just happy that democracy occasionally works the way it's > supposed to. I didn't receive or ask for any pork, I just asked for > better protection from theft, and I got it with one letter. Good > elections aren't the only essential ingredient in a healthy democracy. > > Alex > > ---- > Election-methods mailing list - see http://electorama.com/em for list info ---- Election-methods mailing list - see http://electorama.com/em for list info
