dagblog - Comments for "Stranger in a Dagland"

I just had to look up the

trkingmomoe — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 17:13:55 +0000

In reply to It's funny, since I typed it

I just had to look up the word grokked the other day. It is used often in the science community. Now I know were it came from.

The binary electoral system

Austin Train — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 23:25:17 +0000

In reply to I would argue that the binary

The binary electoral system is the reality.

Working with it is what we have to do, irrespective of our feelings/hypotheses.

Improvement is thus set up to happen, if at all, as a matter of degree rather than instantaneous change.

And there is a problem inherent in the binary model that third-party candidates, and their supporters, tend to overlook:

No one builds a house from the roof-peak down.

I would argue that the binary

Verified Atheist — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 22:42:12 +0000

In reply to What we see is the

I would argue that the binary electoral system is an effect rather than the cause. The cause, IMNSHO, is our voting system. What we need is some sort of ranked voting system so as to allow instant run-offs. That way, you can vote that you prefer President Sanders, then President Clinton, then President Satan (I josh), and finally President Romney (or whoever the Republican candidate is). Then, assuming that Clinton and Romney end up as the top two candidates, your vote of Clinton over Romney still stands.

Alas, ranked voting is possibly too complicated for our electorate. (sigh)

What we see is the

Austin Train — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 17:08:13 +0000

In reply to 8 times better.

What we see is the combination of a binary electoral system with the matters of degree built into humanity.

As we are set up, one or the other of the two major participants in an election will win. Third parties muddy the waters, and more often than not function as spoilers, drawing protest votes away from one side or the other. (See Perot, Ross, and Nader, Ralph as illustrative examples.)

To pretend otherwise is, at this point in our history, foolishly naive.

So if Bernie Sanders, a Senator I respect, does run in 2016, I hope he has a solid enough grasp on both reality and, more importantly, his adherents, to urge, in the strongest possible terms, that they do in fact choose disappointment over malevolence once he falls short of the nomination.

A President Clinton may not be my ideal, still, the damage a President Paul, Rubio, Cruz, or other denizen of the right-wing clown car would do would be absolutely catastrophic.

And yes, a choice between disappoointment and catastrophe is not anyone's ideal, still, we always need to start from where we are. And legislative elections, both at the Congressional and state levels, are far more significant than most people seem to take notice of, which is the failure of our system.

The world is indeed run by those who show up, and the nation by those they elect.

8 times better.

Richard Day — Sun, 14 Sep 2014 23:28:52 +0000

In reply to Stranger in a Dagland

8 times better.

I look at two states, and those states involve Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Minnesota expanded voting for the masses and Wisconsin has attempted to limit voting.

Hell, Minnesota has a limited amount of 'minorities' and Wisconsin has far less 'minorities' than Southern states.

But the hate is there.

Wisconsin decided to hurt the poor and the disenfranchised and governmental workers and...

Minnesota went the other way, thanks to the genius of Governor Dayton.

Minnesota cut its debt and Wisconsin increased its debt.

Minnesota cut its unemployment and Wisconsin increased its unemployment.

The right wing hurts people in this 'democracy'.

It is sooooo very clear to me.

But republican/democracy is all we have available.

More people will purchase the products of Tide and McDonalds and Taco Bell when the ads run.

And more folks will vote for the 'bad people' when they are inundated with political ads.

I have no answer.

We just must pursue the advertising markets in order to pursue the better course.

God bless Minnesota and God bless America.

It's funny, since I typed it

Verified Atheist — Sun, 14 Sep 2014 14:08:47 +0000

In reply to Any book with a protagonist

It's funny, since I typed it up, but when I read that, I missed that he was comparing the difference between 'bad' and 'worse' to the difference between 'good' and 'better'. In my mind, I thought he was comparing the difference between 'bad' and 'worse' to the difference between 'good' and 'bad', which is why I said I wasn't entirely sure I agreed. Now that I've properly grokked (a word brought to us by that very book) what he's saying, I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment.

Any book with a protagonist

MrSmith1 — Sun, 14 Sep 2014 13:37:48 +0000

In reply to Stranger in a Dagland

Any book with a protagonist named Michael Smith is A-OK with me.

There may be little difference in the rascals we replace with other rascals, but as the French would say, Vive la Difference. It's within that tiny range of difference that everything doable gets done.