http://pnews.org/ Progressive News & Views (since 1982)
It's like corruption on Capital Hill, whichever capital that may be; no one is really going to do anything about it because they all want to be able to take advantage of it. The Democrats have abused the electoral process every bit as much as the Republicans, in fact - right off the top of my head, i think it may be quite a bit more. There is perhaps an argument that the general public is not just educated up to the standards of citizens worthy of a democracy, but that many train themselves not to want the required education, either. You know, "never discuss politics and religion." It's a lot easier to focus on short term gain anyway, and far too many people don't really have time for much else, either, whether that suits them or not. i think the modern world is ready for a better solution. When it comes to a really very simple act like voting, i aver that technology can do the job. The electronic balloting is a good idea, but it's not being implemented objectively. The usual sources of corruption are trying to be sure the vote remains open to clandestine control. However, the potential exists with current technology to provide for 100% secure, accurate voting complete with absolutely positive identification of all voters - and much greater voter participation. It just has to be turned over to the machines with a sense of total commitment. The process of providing voter access needs to be completely automatic as well, and simplified to get all the corruption out of the way. If voting had been treated to the same priorities as making sure that everyone who could be forced to have a credit card was hypnotized into using it whenever possible, we'd have a marvel of a democracy by now that would be beyond anyone's reproach. The other thing that needs to happen though, which in many ways is even more important, is that the jobs in Washington, the state houses, municipal chambers, &c. desperately need to have the propaganda and fraud opportunities bled from them. No one should be able to acquire office just because they were wealthy enough to pay for it. There's freedom of speech and then there's taking license of the public's attention. People and the governments they form are corrupted by power and the wealth that a successful exercise of power tends to yield. Short of handing all that over to machines as well, i don't see it changing. Hard term limits would be helpful. So would better public education and the cultural changes that placed more value on education than anything else, including getting laid and drinking the best beer, for instance. With the culture we have in America today, i don't think it matters whether we have one party or one hundred. Until every citizen takes an active interest in their government and keeps themselves educated enough to intelligently guide that interest, no government is going to be able to even be consistent in its intentions, let alone usually on a path the majority would consider "right." Peace, billy rainbow [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > http://pnews.org/ >Progressive News & Views (since 1982) > >Yo Billy! There is evidence coming in of manipulated vote counts. To the >extent it exists, it is the workings of the higher-ups in both parties. By >registering as independents, we would put pressure on the rank and file in >both parties to can a few of their party bosses. We would hold the carrot of >favoring the party that moved the furthest in that direction. It would work >similarly for the gerrymandering and the campaign financing scams. Might have >to start with local government elections where it is easier to spot the >shysters. Problem now is no one is held to account for anything. 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