dagblog - Comments for "THE GUARDIANS"

I have discussed this subject

Richard Day — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:14:24 +0000

In reply to For a little while (in the

I have discussed this subject many times and as Tocqueville demonstrates, Athens had 350,000 residents and about 20,000 citizens. About the same proportion of Communist Party members to populations of the old USSR and China.

The perfect proportion for Republican politics. ha!

If i were a youngster, I would have just become involved in local village politics. Screw the rest. It is all fixed.

For a little while (in the

moat — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:01:57 +0000

In reply to THE GUARDIANS

For a little while (in the scale of millenniums), Athens had a democracy where all citizens were required to participate. They were punished if they didn't do their fair share of the work of governance. Measured against this standard, the polity of our republic was designed from the get-go to subcontract most of that work out to hopefully capable people.

When first constituted, the selection process of those people expressed the will of citizens through a series of strong links between each of the levels of representation, from community governance to decisions made on the Federal level. While history has shown that those kinds of links have their own styles of tyranny, the intention of the design was to thwart the power of partisan elements that naturally tend to dominate a State. Only the active presence of a countervailing force can mitigate the effects of this natural tendency.

Anyway, having a bicameral body create a second bicameral body to somehow circumvent partisan dynamics is like the shot of whisky one might take to stop the shakes before getting to a job site. I think Aristotle called it infinite regression.

Like I do not have seventeen

Richard Day — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:10:23 +0000

In reply to I am trying...trying...to

Like I do not have seventeen visions in my head at any one time. hahahaha

Our government was originally set up to keep the voter as far away from governing on the Federal level as possible.

Although the Civil War changed a lot of this, you must admit that it is difficult for 310 million people to chime in on an issue.

I was just struck with the 'model' being created.

The idea was--I think--to cut through some of the protocols in the Senate so that certain matters can get to the floor for a vote!

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I am interested in seeing how Congress handles this.

I am trying...trying...to

wabby — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:58:36 +0000

In reply to THE GUARDIANS

I am trying...trying...to find comfort in the harsh "trigger" feature built into the deal. Neither side likes what will happen if they can't make a deal.

And, while it's true that the Republicans only need one Blue Dog Dem to reach 7, it's also true the Democrats only need one normal Repub to see it their way. (Obviously, I have not sought a cure for my optimism.)

Would it be too much to ask if one of the Repubs came from Maine? Or even that feller from Massachussetts?

Wouldn't it have been great if there had been enough time left in order for the American people themselves to choose the Mighty 12 by casting votes? I reckon that would have drawn the voters to the polls.

Which begs the question: Why can't we have a direct vote at the federal level on something like this? Or several other things, like HCR or legalizing pot? I mean, what use are all those polls asking for public opinion if the most popular opinion is then ignored? With poll after poll indicating that a majority of the U.S. citizens feel the country is "headed in the wrong direction", why then, are our elected officials not responding to the majority?

For gawd's sake, what was the Supreme Court smoking that day they allowed corporate personhood a seat at the table?

And finally, is there any direction these thoughts of mine haven't traveled in this morning?

Yeah, I came to the same damn

Richard Day — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 05:44:57 +0000

In reply to For me, what jumped out was

Yeah, I came to the same damn conclusion.

Six dogfighters and six Democratic politicians.

Maybe we have entered into a new era!

THE SIX PLUS ONE ERA! ha

Well thank ye. Much

Richard Day — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 05:38:53 +0000

In reply to Today, or tonight I am giving

Well thank ye.

Much appreciated!

For me, what jumped out was

MrSmith1 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:13:59 +0000

In reply to THE GUARDIANS

For me, what jumped out was not the Super Congressional conclave of colossally cacophonous corporate capitalist congress-people ... but that it only takes 7 out of 12 votes to move ideas to a vote in Congress. So basically the Republican 6, that are set in stone, have to only convince one (1!) blue-dog Democrat to come to their side and Democrats lose everything ... again.

Today, or tonight I am giving

tmccarthy0 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 03:37:10 +0000

In reply to THE GUARDIANS

Today, or tonight I am giving you the award for the best line of the day..

Others who would merely imitate Icarus are not at a loss for words

That sir, is the best line I've read all day long. I smiled and laughed... well done.

Also... nice blog Dickon