At 03:43 PM 5/5/01 +0200 J. van Baardwijk wrote:
>Hmm. 95 Senators out of 95 say "No", while 60% of the US population says
>"Yes" (source: ABCNews poll). Why again do you have elections in the US?
Actually, Jeroen, this is precisely *why* we have elections in the US.
It's called representative government.
In fact, this reminds me of one of my favorite poll numbers:
"Some 60%+ (I forget the number, but it is really high) of the American
people support a Constitutional amendment banning burning of the American
Flag."
So, why isn't this issue just rolling through our Congress? Is it
corporations buying influence? No. It isn't, because the support is
very *shallow.* Although people will say they support the idea to a
pollster, they aren't particularly beholden to their view, and certainly
don't cast their votes in elections based on the flag-burning issue.
Moreover, not only is the popular support for Kyoto shallow, it is born of
ignorance as well. If you asked the American public: "Do you support
paying $3.00+/gallon for gasoline to bring American prices in line with
European prices, and to meet our obligations under the Kyoto accord" -
you'll see that 60% figure of yours dry right up.
In other words, Jeroen, those 95 Senators know what meeting the ridiculous
standards of Kyoto would actually entail, and know that if the American
people knew what they know, that the American people would definitely agree.
JDG
__________________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685
"The point of living in a Republic after all, is that we do not live by
majority rule. We live by laws and a variety of institutions designed
to check each other." -Andrew Sullivan 01/29/01
