Re: cleaning house

[http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert (Robert)]

 > From: "kathryn m" <http://www.kathaus.org/~cat>
 > Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 17:02:29 -0800
 >
 > ---------- Original Message -----------
 > From: http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert (Robert)
 > To: "kathryn m" <http://www.kathaus.org/~cat>
 > Sent: 19 Feb 2006 07:38:18 -0800
 > Subject: Re: cleaning house
 > 
 > [ . . . ]

I agree with everything you say here.

 > > But, then, I wouldn't ever vote 
 > > because no candidate and no proposition would ever 
 > > exactly fit my beliefs.
 > 
 > my difficulty is that the whole process is flawed.  on one 
 > level, there is the lack of real choice.  but even if there 
 > were a real choice, if your candidate loses you're 
 > sunk, you have no way to fight because you agreed to 
 > the terms of the vote in the first place.

I guess your proposition or whatever losing is a loss within the voting
system.  I suppose you have to go outside the system once you're in that
position.  Or try again.  (Speaking of which, someone at the Trader Joes
accosted us with a petition for putting that "Parental Notification"
proposition back on the ballot.  Some people just have too much money.)

 > also, how can 
 > someone truly represent me?  no one can.  if a 
 > decision affects me i want a say in it.  i don't want to try 
 > to get some politician to listen to me.  he is paid by the 
 > system and is thus beholden to it, not to me.  

Then, this is inherently a problem with representative democracy because,
aside from corruption, a politician is beholden to her constituency.

But, of course, the other unspoken part of the problem is concentration of
decision power -- either in the form of the representative or the
enforcement of a proposition by police/judges/lawyers.  I guess this
really comes down to the old community versus the individual argument,
and, ultimately, trust -- whether the individual trusts the politician or
the wisdom of the community or neither.

Maybe it's also the size of the community.  If it's too large, you no
longer have a choice to choose a different community if you don't like the
decisions made in that community.  I guess this would be a good argument
for a weak state government and an even weaker federal government.  I
guess this is the Thomas Jefferson view.

Anyway, just a brain spew.  I need to make dinner now.

 > not a problem.  sorry you didn't sleep.  
 > take care, 
 > kathryn