Re: [Nolug] Who usually shows up for meetings?

On Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at 2:05 PM, Petri Laihonen <pietu@weblizards.net> wrote:
> Many good points!!
>
> I did not know about the US election system until the recent presidential
> election...... I simply was not interested..... but this time since so many
> people were talking about the politics and elections etc, I learned about
> the system, and to me it looks like with the lack of the better word,
> bastardized version of democracy.

It is not a democratic process, it is a representative process. The
deal is each state is only to provide a board of electors, and it has
become common that each state determines its electors by allowing its
people to vote. So you're not voting for the President, but for the
slate of electors. Most states do 'winner take all,' but some do divy
up their electors based on the percentage of votes received in the
general election.

>
> More specifically, I learned that different states have so different systems
> that there is a possibility for a smaller populated state to undermind (or
> over rule) states with higher population. I've always thought democracy is,
> to put it simply, where majority rules.

The US is a Federal Republic. It's not purely democratic.

Brett

>
> Petri
>
> Dennis J Harrison Jr wrote:
>
> My problem with our government is the lack of influence the tax payers
> have in the steering of the ship.
>
> And, I don't think socialism is 'bad'. I don't agree with the entire
> scope of ideas that encompasses any of the governmental archetypes...
> nor do I completely disagree with every aspect of any of them.
>
> Can we agree that the people being governed should have the last say
> on a choice?
>
> Not suggesting to have every household micro-manage every choice...
> but we should be able to actually create our own bills and vote for
> ourselves. Without having a political cast system in place to dumb it
> down for us...
>
> No matter the system in place, those with power and money will do
> everything they can to keep it. Those are the seeds of top down
> corruption.
>
> Education is our only way to global peace and prosperity?
>
> Who educates?
> What ideas are taught in what order?
> What is the vetting process?
> Is the scientific method good enough?
> Where does the money come from?
> What role should a politician play?
> How many generations will it take for the majority of people to care
> enough about governance to be educated on the ins and outs?
> etc, etc, etc
>
> I would love to see things like this be topics in every day
> conversation. Instead of who is doing what to some other celebrity...
> Or what happened on 24... etc etc.
>
> I think what Finland has right now, works for Finland. There is no
> way that system could be scaled to work in the USA. That doesn't mean
> what we have is any better though :)
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 8, 2008 at 1:34 PM, Jeremy (mailing list box)
> <listbox@unix-boy.com> wrote:
>
>
> Petri Laihonen wrote:
>
>
> I know, "socialism" is a curse word here..... I guess it is deeply rooted
> fear of Russia, which we know now did not do quite well.
> I just know that a good balance of "socialism" and "capitalism" do work
> well.
> Is there a word for the combination of two?
>
> Petri
>
>
>
> The term you would be looking for is "Democratic socialism", not to be
> confused with the more prevalent form of socialism know as "Stalinism" or
> big C "Communism".
>
> J
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Received on 12/08/08