From the category archives:

Democratic Reform

Well, that was depressing.

by Rod Edwards on November 3, 2010

America has cast its vote for obstructionism & PAC’s. Isn’t it strange too how Tea Party republicans can wring their hands about Democrat big government in one sentence, and then vote for Republican big government in the next? California is the greatest example: Prop 19 and Prop 8. Republicans don’t want government to tell them how to get healthcare, but they do want government to define marriage & home life. Similarly, they’d rather continue to fund the War on Drugs and keep a large segment of their population in prison than they would embrace libertarian principles and legalize marijuana.

What is going on down there? Republicans aren’t small-c conservatives any more, they’re just nuts. Their policies seem to be nothing more than anti-Democrat pandering to whatever the tub-thumping misanthropes in the Tea Party are whingeing about on a given day.

If the markets rise today, its only in anticipation of larger defense spending as America starts gearing up for its next jingoistic crusade (Hi there, Iran).

What a waste. May I also draw your attention to “Democracy means my ignorance is as good as your knowledge;” a telling quote the I can’t help but imagine the Tea Party would celebrate if any were inclined to read Asimov.

I feel particularly sad for Wisconsin and Feingold.

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The Second Bill of Rights was a proposal made by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt during his State of the Union Address on January 11, 1944 to suggest that the nation had come to recognize, and should now implement, a second bill of rights. Roosevelt did not argue for any change to the United States Constitution; he argued that the second bill of rights was to be implemented politically, not by federal judges. Roosevelt’s stated justification was that the “political rights” guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights had “proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.” Roosevelt’s remedy was to create an “economic bill of rights” which would guarantee…

via Second Bill of Rights – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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Answer to the people, not big finance: Should central banks be independent?

February 15, 2010

Hmmm. Interesting question. Should central banks be independent? The Bank of Canada ultimately answers to the people through the Minister of Finance, but as they are quick to point out, operate with considerably more independence than other federal institutions. Is that a good thing, keeping the banks free to run the mechanics of policy without [...]

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FOXNews.com – Republicans Winning Back Trust on Handling of Big Issues, Poll Shows

February 10, 2010

This certainly highlights the danger of setting lofty expectations. Even as Obama starts to gain traction on things like science education and bi-partisan solutions to deficit and healthcare, he’s sliding: A new Washington Post-ABC News Poll shows far more Americans trust congressional Republicans to handle the big issues than they did just a few months [...]

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The Noise and Rage and Endless Chatter

June 14, 2009

…and because politics seems to speak so little to what they are going through – because they understand that politics today is a business and not a mission, and what passes for debate is little more than a spectacle – they turn inward, away from the noise and rage and endless chatter. [Barack Obama, The [...]

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Good Comment: Local Government means you can vote with your feet

June 8, 2009

Comment by rabbit, on a post by Dr. Roy. Dr. Roy’s discussion (“Eurosceptism“) is not one I necessarily agree with (I’m not a Christian Monarchist Tory, after all), nor is the fear-the-one-world-order tone of the comment. That being said, I had never really thought of local government in this way – my brain gravitates towards [...]

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An Example of Why First Past the Post Makes Some Sense

February 4, 2009

Just noticed a good illustration of why first-past-the-post makes some sense in the comments of a post on the blog of Kirk West. This comment by Wilson is in relation to discussion about Jack Layton’s performance in his own riding: As sor points out, Jack won more votes than EACH the runners-up. But not more [...]

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