"DOJ Says Russian Trolls Are Interfering Online With the Midterms"
The Atlantic
Princeton Researchers Conclude That U.S. Is No Longer A Democracy
"Plutocracy Triumphant"
Cartoon Compendium
Alan: As I write, I'm listening to an NPR program on Russian meddling in the 2018 mid-terms.
U.S. Government Charges Russia With Interference In The 2018 Mid-Terms
The Politics Show, NPR
The talking heads are agreed: there is no solution to meddling for the foreseeable future, and the best we can do is "whack-a-mole."
Given that American "democracy" has been compromised -- perhaps decisively so by both foreign intervention and domestic manipulation -- I encourage readers to give thought to the random selection of legislative representatives.
As bizarre as the prospect may seem on the surface, the following TED Talk lends immediate credibility to the proposal.
Furthermore, "random selection of representatives" as a way to outflank election meddling.
Make no mistake.
Trump (and Bannon's) deconstruction of America's democratic governance depends on the appearance of democratic process, a "seeming" most easily conjured by existing electoral norms.
Consistent with Lao Tze's 2500 year-old observation that "the profoundest truths are paradoxial," we now contemplate a political "order" in which "The System" is systematically dismantling "The System."
Educated Americans want a rational world, and - predictably - they project a rational world.
But as much as we would like a rational world governed by reasonable (and factual) democratic process, that is not happening.
It is- emphatically - not happening.
It is easy to point fingers at the addlepates, dimwits and "true believers," but what if "The Best and The Brightest" are, once again, devising (or at least maintaining) a system of governance permanently subverted by plutocratic interests and "the human persons" that corporations have "legally" become.
Perhaps "my" proposal for "randomly chosen politicians" can begin at the municipal and school board levels to see what happens when we experiment with the radically democratic idea that "the will of the people" -- while far from perfect -- is an alternative worthy of exploration.
Let's put the citizenry's mouth where the money is.
It may not work.
But it is a defensible and persuasive alternative that can be safely explored "in miniature."
Alan: As I write, I'm listening to an NPR program on Russian meddling in the 2018 mid-terms.
U.S. Government Charges Russia With Interference In The 2018 Mid-Terms
The Politics Show, NPR
Trump (and Bannon's) deconstruction of America's democratic governance depends on the appearance of democratic process, a "seeming" most easily conjured by existing electoral norms.
Consistent with Lao Tze's 2500 year-old observation that "the profoundest truths are paradoxial," we now contemplate a political "order" in which "The System" is systematically dismantling "The System."
Consistent with Lao Tze's 2500 year-old observation that "the profoundest truths are paradoxial," we now contemplate a political "order" in which "The System" is systematically dismantling "The System."
But as much as we would like a rational world governed by reasonable (and factual) democratic process, that is not happening.
It is- emphatically - not happening.
It is easy to point fingers at the addlepates, dimwits and "true believers," but what if "The Best and The Brightest" are, once again, devising (or at least maintaining) a system of governance permanently subverted by plutocratic interests and "the human persons" that corporations have "legally" become.
Perhaps "my" proposal for "randomly chosen politicians" can begin at the municipal and school board levels to see what happens when we experiment with the radically democratic idea that "the will of the people" -- while far from perfect -- is an alternative worthy of exploration.
Let's put the citizenry's mouth where the money is.
It may not work.
But it is a defensible and persuasive alternative that can be safely explored "in miniature."
"Good Ideas For The Body Politic": Randomly Chosen Political Representatives
Compendium Of Best "Pax" Posts On Trump, Putin And Russian Meddling
In Rural America Vladimir Putin Is Decidedly More Popular Than ANY Democrat
Compendium Of Best Pax Posts: Plutocracy, Economic Inequality & Collapse Of Conservatism
Compendium Of Best Pax Posts: Plutocracy, Economic Inequality & Collapse Of Conservatism
"Politics And Economics: The 101 Courses You Wish You Had"
Alan: Tell me. Does Aristotle tickle your fancy for "Rule By People With Property?"
"Politics And Economics: The 101 Courses You Wish You Had"
Pope Francis: Quotations On Finance, Economics, Capitalism And Inequality
Teddy Roosevelt: "Malefactors Of Great Wealth... Are Curses To The Country"
Why Are Americans So Poorly Paid. This One Chart Will Even Shame The 1%
Teddy Roosevelt: "Malefactors Of Great Wealth... Are Curses To The Country"
Why Are Americans So Poorly Paid. This One Chart Will Even Shame The 1%
Inequality: Joseph Stiglitz Brilliant Reflection On Obama's State Of The Union Address
"Of The 1%, By The 1%, For The 1%,"
Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz
It's Not About Income. "It's About Net Worth, Stupid!"
"Of The 1%, By The 1%, For The 1%,"
It's Not About Income. "It's About Net Worth, Stupid!"
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