Richard,
re: "Nothing in this statement should be interpreted to imply
that we believe that election-method reform is the only area
of existing political systems that currently needs reform.
In fact, most of us also support other reforms such as
broader campaign-finance-reporting rules, increased use of
other decision-making aids such as deliberative polling, and
clearer ethics rules for officeholders. We believe that the
election-method reforms we advocate here would be
synergistic with such other reforms, both in terms of easing
their adoption and multiplying their beneficial effects."
Patronizing me would be more effective if you did so from a position of
strength. I'm not sure why you thought it necessary to ridicule my
position with this ludicrous tripe, but so be it.
The idea that all we need is "clearer ethics rules for officeholders" is
preposterous and dangerously misleading. No competent 'expert' in
political science can be unaware of the repeated attempts to reform the
ethics of politicians (in the United States). Such attempts have marked
my 82 years as an American citizen. They failed for two fundamental
reasons:
1) You cannot legislate morality, and
2) The political parties control the executive and legislative
branches of the state and federal governments. They are
masters of misdirection and obfuscation. They can not be
reformed as long as they control the selection and financing
of candidates for public office.
More than 100 years ago, Theodore Roosevelt warned the American people
about the 'unholy alliance' between corrupt business and corrupt
politics[1]. He described the invisible government behind the
ostensible government, "owing no allegiance and acknowledging no
responsibility to the people".
Yet, a century later, the 'expert' continues to ignore this warning,
fails to recognize the need for institutions that harness human nature,
and refuses to consider ways to destroy this 'invisible government'.
Instead, as Durant wrote, he "... put on blinders in order to shut out
from his vision all the world but one little spot, to which he glued his
nose.", in this case, counting mechanisms.
* The reforms you describe will do nothing to stop the forces that paid
for and got the gutting and repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act, the repeal
of which led directly to the excesses that brought the entire world to
the brink of economic collapse.
* They do not acknowledge, much less attack, the corruption that
fostered the outrageous expansion of 'intellectual property rights',
so-called 'rights' that allow corporations (which have no intellect) to
levy a perpetual tax on the people.
* No amount of "broader campaign-finance-reporting" will prevent such
tragedies as America's unwarranted invasion of a sovereign nation, an
invasion which resulted in the death of more than 4,000 U. S. armed
servicemen and more than 100,000 Iraqis.
* Nothing in the proposed 'reforms' will stop parties from selling
legislation like The Broadband Conduit Deployment Act[2], introduced by
two Democratic senators, that saddles the American taxpayer with the
cost of laying broadband conduit for the communications industry.
That's the real world. It will take the best efforts of our best minds
to improve the lot of the humans among us. We should get started.
Fred Gohlke
(1) http://www.infoplease.com/t/hist/state-of-the-union/118.html
(2) http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.2428: Broadband
Conduit Deployment Act
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