No more war, no more hate.
Options
Comments
-
So basically it’s too late ?benjs said:When the self-serving outnumber the selfless, when the shortsighted outnumber the longsighted, when those who desire being right over being righteous, when the blissfully ignorant outnumber the saddened aware, when the class and resource and (most importantly) education imbalances already exist - all of which have proven to be the case - direct democracy would further catalyze our destruction. And between these human traits and our irreparable (and continuing) damage to the planet and to each other, it seems our destruction is already imminent.jesus greets me looks just like me ....0 -
I read the link. It sounds like a good idea on paper and I think it might work well regionally but for a nation as large as the U.S., it seems impractical. And I think both representative or direct democracy are not likely to succeed without far greater participation and education than we see in the U.S. Our people are generally apathetic and poorly educated that way.Meltdown99 said:Direct democracy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_democracy
We need to quit electing politicians to make decision for us. I have no problems with the idiot politicians running the day business of government, all major policy initiative's should go to the people...especially compensation packages for said idiots.
Well said but, sorry to say Ben, rather depressing. Our best hope is that younger generations begin to understand the consequences of those destructive traits of which you speak and begin to embrace the positive ones. Yes, it's a long shot, but I believe that's our only hope.benjs said:When the self-serving outnumber the selfless, when the shortsighted outnumber the longsighted, when those who desire being right over being righteous, when the blissfully ignorant outnumber the saddened aware, when the class and resource and (most importantly) education imbalances already exist - all of which have proven to be the case - direct democracy would further catalyze our destruction. And between these human traits and our irreparable (and continuing) damage to the planet and to each other, it seems our destruction is already imminent.
"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0 -
Unless someone can give me some logical path to changing minds of the masses, I believe so.josevolution said:So basically it’s too late ?'05 - TO, '06 - TO 1, '08 - NYC 1 & 2, '09 - TO, Chi 1 & 2, '10 - Buffalo, NYC 1 & 2, '11 - TO 1 & 2, Hamilton, '13 - Buffalo, Brooklyn 1 & 2, '15 - Global Citizen, '16 - TO 1 & 2, Chi 2
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 10 -
Maybe just one mind at a time? I think every little thing we do to move in the right direction adds up. Doing what makes sense is the only hope, no matter how small may seem.benjs said:Unless someone can give me some logical path to changing minds of the masses, I believe so.
"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0 -
Brian, I regularly force myself to shift my perspective to match yours, and then I remember a saying from a colleague... hope is not a plan. I don't see how an apathetic/misinformed/uneducated global population can have this unified paradigm shift that lets us find our common goals - all before we destroy each other and/or our planet. I don't mean to spread doom and gloom, but I'm a cold and calculated kind of person, and can't see the logic path to a long-term future.brianlux said:Maybe just one mind at a time? I think every little thing we do to move in the right direction adds up. Doing what makes sense is the only hope, no matter how small may seem.'05 - TO, '06 - TO 1, '08 - NYC 1 & 2, '09 - TO, Chi 1 & 2, '10 - Buffalo, NYC 1 & 2, '11 - TO 1 & 2, Hamilton, '13 - Buffalo, Brooklyn 1 & 2, '15 - Global Citizen, '16 - TO 1 & 2, Chi 2
EV
Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 10 -
We can only start with our own children. Teach them well. The more good parents the more good children the more good people!
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -0 -
After-all the democracy you live in and seemingly loath is working out so well for you. good luck, canada and the states are not democracies...we elect our dictators.brianlux said:I read the link. It sounds like a good idea on paper and I think it might work well regionally but for a nation as large as the U.S., it seems impractical. And I think both representative or direct democracy are not likely to succeed without far greater participation and education than we see in the U.S. Our people are generally apathetic and poorly educated that way.
Well said but, sorry to say Ben, rather depressing. Our best hope is that younger generations begin to understand the consequences of those destructive traits of which you speak and begin to embrace the positive ones. Yes, it's a long shot, but I believe that's our only hope.Give Peas A Chance…0 -
Or how about this Brian, your congressman and senators will never pass tougher gun control laws. Would you not like to have the option that if you got enough signatures on a petition so a binding plebiscite can be voted on by the people that puts tougher gun control laws into place? No offence, but if you think this senators and congressman are ever going to toughen gun control, then I got a nice piece of swamp land in Alaska to sell you. I'd have more faith in letting the general population decide, not a few politicians that are essentially bought and paid for.Give Peas A Chance…0
-
A direct democracy would be a direct disaster.hippiemom = goodness0
-
After-all your democracy is so great...cincybearcat said:A direct democracy would be a direct disaster.Give Peas A Chance…0 -
The New England style town meeting is a truly beautiful concept but it is no way to run a large, modern country.
___________________________________________
"...I changed by not changing at all..."0 -
It may not be perfect, but do you understand the issue of a direct democracy? Would you want your country to be direct democracy?Meltdown99 said:After-all your democracy is so great...It's a hopeless situation...0 -
Don't get me wrong. I wish it was. But @cincybearcat is right.JimmyV said:The New England style town meeting is a truly beautiful concept but it is no way to run a large, modern country.
___________________________________________
"...I changed by not changing at all..."0 -
No thanks. I've been called elitist before due to my distaste of "get out the vote" programs. The last thing I want is mobs of low-educated deplorables deciding my fate. I will take my chances with representation from someone I have vetted through research. Yeah, they may be (and probably are) bought off by some collection of special interests, but at least you have an idea of what you're getting and aren't subject to the whims of mob rule. The only way I'd be in favor of direct democracy is if there were: 1) some sort of minimum intelligence requirement verified through a short test (nothing partisan or tricky, but voters need to know something about which they voting), and 2) put a few hoops in the way of registration so that only people who care are registered to vote, not just people who simply get drivers' licenses or library cards. If the voters are actually making decisions, I want them to be voters who can breath through their nose, walk and chew gum at the same time. It's bad enough that we had a critical mass of low-information voters this time around putting Drumpf into office. Imagine if those same mouth-breathers got to directly vote on critical freedoms and liberties. Nope. Mob rule scares me more than the plutocracy we currently have. Reading the OP's link, I guess I'm more of a "semi-direct" guy. I'd rather have a balance with representative democracy on one hand, and the citizens having a say through petition and the initiative process. In my state we passed legalization of weed through a vote of the people because legislators weren't acting on the will of the people and I love that mechanism, but at the same time, there are just too many issues, some very complex, that average voters simply wouldn't be able to comprehend. I'd hate to see a budget process run by popular vote, for instance. There would be a few pet projects that would get massive support, but critical services that weren't sexy enough to capture the attention of the vast ocean of idiots would be ignored. Also, could you imagine the inundation of direct advertising for each and every issue that would come to a vote? It is sometimes overwhelming as it is to open my mailbox and see a shitload of flyers and brochures around election time. And that is for a handful of issues and candidates. Further, imagine if there were Facebook memes, Russian trolls, and fake news being propagated for every issue? If we had those things for every single decision that needed to be made it would be insanity."I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/080
-
I agree, teach them well...I wish every parent would discourage their children from joining the military. Don't get me wrong, I have great respect. for military personnel...but militaries should only be used for defensive purposes...lastexitlondon said:We can only start with our own children. Teach them well. The more good parents the more good children the more good people!Give Peas A Chance…0 -
I'd model my democracy after the Swiss, which is a mix of direct democracy. I sure as hell think people who believe you are in a democracy because of a bunch of paper is bullshit...your democracy hides behind the right to bear arms bullshit because of a piece paper, especially when it was likely no one owned anything more powerful than a musket ... and by the time you got it loaded, you forgot why you mad and needed the gun.tbergs said:It may not be perfect, but do you understand the issue of a direct democracy? Would you want your country to be direct democracy?Give Peas A Chance…0 -
I agree that there are several who use the 2nd amendment to avoid making serious change, but at the same time it is a great thing to require significant support to change existing laws and liberties. There are times when it's a boon and times when it is a blessing. It means progress may sometimes come along slower than a lot of us would like, but it also presents the opportunity for more sustained support instead of a half-assed knee jerk attempt that creates more problems and division. And to your last statement, it's not that people couldn't use their musket to kill in the heat of the moment, it just meant they only had 1 shot to get the job done.Meltdown99 said:
I'd model my democracy after the Swiss, which is a mix of direct democracy. I sure as hell think people who believe you are in a democracy because of a bunch of paper is bullshit...your democracy hides behind the right to bear arms bullshit because of a piece paper, especially when it was likely no one owned anything more powerful than a musket ... and by the time you got it loaded, you forgot why you mad and needed the gun.It's a hopeless situation...0 -
Why is there is still war???
0 -
-
I proposed a democracy similar to Switzerland...
have they fallen apart apart by allowing their citizens more say?
i can guarantee you their education system is superior to the US and Canada’s...
Give Peas A Chance…0
Categories
- All Categories
- 148.8K Pearl Jam's Music and Activism
- 110K The Porch
- 273 Vitalogy
- 35K Given To Fly (live)
- 3.5K Words and Music...Communication
- 39.1K Flea Market
- 39.1K Lost Dogs
- 58.6K Not Pearl Jam's Music
- 10.6K Musicians and Gearheads
- 29.1K Other Music
- 17.8K Poetry, Prose, Music & Art
- 1.1K The Art Wall
- 56.7K Non-Pearl Jam Discussion
- 22.2K A Moving Train
- 31.7K All Encompassing Trip
- 2.9K Technical Stuff and Help