Send in any comments you have concerning direct democracy to: indicate if you would like to have your name included
I am starting to see what you are talking about with Direct Democracy. I am guessing Direct Democracy will control special-interest influence and money in the government system. How important is it to take politics back to where they began? Have politics and the government ever been pure and just? I look forward to reading more! Take care, Brad Richardson I'm not advocating not doing something because there are problems. I'm only thinking about various issues that might need to be addressed to make it work. I agree, the congress today is definitely class based. That is one of the reasons I liked the sound of this idea. I thought maybe it could take away some of that. But with the certification thing, (which totally makes sense), it could keep and perhaps even more separate the classes. Unless of course the certification for voting this way could be made to be free? Excerpt: a plan to establish a direct democracy, which is the electorate voting directly on legislative issues along with their elected representatives. A good and interesting topic, direct democracy is. It had been viewed as free elections whereby the populist numbers determine the outcome; contrastingly, partisan democracy has been viewed as decisions of political affiliation. But, direct democracy appears to be the proper path for an informed citizenry. Direct Democracy is something I've never heard of, but certainly sounds like an interesting idea, especially in the Internet age we live in. How is the issue of voter competence addressed? In a general election all registered voters can vote including illiterate or uneducated voters and indeed all citizens should be represented in a democracy however complicated legislative issues to be voted on should be understood by the voters. My suggestion is to require legislative voters in the public voting section to have a voting certification so that complex issues can be understood. The issue in obtaining them would be what is the difficultly level of the certification requirements. Should they be as easy to obtain as a drivers license or as difficult to obtain as a master's degree (or even a Ph.D.). I think they should involve training along the lines of obtaining a master's degree. There would be no limit as to the number of certified voters so potentially all registered voters could become members of the certified voting public. At the beginning of the process the number of certified voters would not be large but conceivably the concept could evolve to the point that millions of voters could be members of the voting Public Assembly. How are the bills to be voted on written? Bills could be written and submitted by the public to the expert committees to have them drafted into the correct form to be voted on. The issues themselves would be divided into categories as determined by the expert committees which are university committees appointed by Congress. For example, if there were to be a vote on whether to make English the official language in the United States , then a bill would be written and the expert committees might decide to include that as a category 7 issue so that all registered voters would vote on that issue. Below is a suggested arrangement of voting categories and the chart indicates what segment of the voters would vote on each of the issues:
Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project, California Institute of Technology and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Corporation. (2001). Voting: What is, What could be. Retrieved October 16, 2004 from http://www.vote.caltech.edu/Reports/july01/July01_VTP_%20Voting_Report_Entire.pdf Chenglie, L. (1989). A Collection of Confucius's Sayings . Ji Nan , China : Qi Lu Press. Really impressive list of resources in your assignment posting. There is quite a bit of information. Do you have a plan for providing contrasting (or contrarian) viewpoints in your final version of your Literature Review? ____________________________________________________ Is the U.S.A. now the best of all possible political worlds? Few would share Dr. Pangloss and Candide's (Voltaire) view of the philosophy of optimism that this is the best of all possible worlds concerning how we are governed. But how could we improve it? What is what Aristotle refers to as the best form of democracy? “Aristotle argues that democracy works best when the population of country-dwellers, not town-dwellers, because the former are disinclined to exercise too frequently the democratic right of attendance at the meetings of the assembly in the city; and he dwells at some length on the sterling merits of an agricultural population.” (Aristotle. (1962) The Politics. London : Penguin Books.) By the way, this objective can now be accomplished using the Internet. Here are some suggested Voting Categories: J. Use, application, and interpretation disputes After collecting a petition the public should be able to recall incompetent public officials from office? Yes, this should be part of the political process. Shouldn't we let the experts rule us? We need to ask: who are the experts that are ruling us? Are we all conditioned to think that legislators are experts in all legislative areas? It is important to realize that legislators are not expert in all issues either -- they are just elected to represent a constituency; very often their only expertise is in being a politician and getting elected. Charisma is all well and good, but does a politician's charisma or entertainment or speaking ability in itself solve all social ills? Of course not, but often the electorate votes for the most likable candidate making an election a popularity contest. Concerning direct democracy the issue of voter competence is really what it all boils down to; that is, voter competence is what every one is concerned about in relationship to the feasibility of direct democracy. Or, in other words, do the voters really understand what they are voting on and on the consequences of that vote? To address that issue, the idea presented in this paper involves creating a section of the voting public consisting of certified voters. These certified voters would undergo a training program in order to obtain legislative voting licenses. Concerning certified voters one question that needs to be addressed is: should the voting certificate be as easy to obtain as a driver's license or as difficult to obtain as a master's degree (or even a Ph.D.) --- I tend to think it should involve a training program similar in depth to a master's degree, in fact, it could be offered as a master's program through schools, universities, and colleges. So the certified voter is one who would go through a training program similar to a master's level graduate degree to obtain a legislative voting license – a license which can be revoked in proven cases of felony or abuse of the voting system. So that citizens would have a say in the development of their communities and in how they are governed, which, after all, is the meaning of democracy or a government of, by, and for the people. Issues that could be discussed and decided by either by public votes or by votes by legislative voters including the elected legislature as well as legislative certified voters. The voting category is determined by the expert committees as described above. from Capitalism and Democracy: Schumpeter Revisited: “The noncapitalist group, which usually comprises the vast majority of the population, will eventually unite and outvote the elite capitalist class, stripping it of its priviledged propertied position.” (Coe, 1985, p. 2) “Hitler, it will be recalled, was democratically elected.” (Coe, 1985, p. 15). “It was Schumpeter who taught us that democratic politics was a struggle for control of the political process in order to use the state to further one's own interest.” (Coe, 1985, p. 38) “Government is thus the object and vehicle of control by the propertied, and they are the propertied in part because of their control of government.” (Samuels, 1985, p. 70). “In Part IV (of Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy) we have Schumpeter's argument that the classical doctrine of democracy (referring to representative democracy), namely, that the common good and the popular will prevail, is empirically wrong; that democracy is essentially a competition for political leadership.” (Samuels, 1985, p. 83). “Schumpeter rejected the classical theory of democracy (which he recognized as bourgeois in origin), with its emphasis on the common good and the popular will, and proposed a theory of competition for political leadership.” (Samuels, 1985, p. 105). About Constitution of Direct Democracy. He structures a government ruled by the people directly but allows for the guidance and approval of expert agencies to form and implement policies. From Megatrends John Naisbitt says in his book Megatrends that society is moving from representative democracy toward participatory democracy and that “the new leader is a facilitator and not an order giver.” (Naisbitt, 1982, p.188). Based on Citizens as Legislators p. 14 There is really no other way to determine the general will except through some sort of vote or survey. The general public is smart enough to consult experts on matters requiring expertise but the general will as expressed through government can only be derived from the general will of the people. Elitists fear that such a process could have an averaging effect on the culture in effect a dumbing down of mass culture. I think it would cause a general elevation of mass culture and elitist interests and characteristics such as talent, genius, and specialities would remain protected and nurtured through continuing support by an understanding and accepting public. My topic involves developing and implementing a plan to establish a direct democracy, which is the electorate voting directly on legislative issues in along with their elected representatives. For the purposes of this study this process would occur in the United States of America (it already exists in some countries such as Switzerland ), on a local, state, and federal level. Why is this topic of interest to you? With the upcoming presidential election, I think this topic is of interest to everyone. But this idea extends beyond the big elections and into day to day legislation. What experiences and knowledge do you currently have about this topic? I have been reading and researching into this topic since last year. What specifically are you interested in studying about this topic? I am interested in delving into all areas of this topic including historical research, education, and practical and technical procedures, as well as the political and sociological aspects, involved in bringing such a concept into reality. Specifically, in this and the other Capella courses, I am interested in studying how a curriculum, to be used in educational and other public institutions, might be developed – and I plan to help develop one -- to realize such a plan. The implementation of such a plan would utilize skills and knowledge learned during the Capella coursework including aspects involving societal change, developing action plans, research methodology, futuring tools, historical research, philosophy, learning theory (cognition and behaviorism), program evaluation, and using computer technology, through interface design, graphics software, and instructional media tools, to facilitate the implementation of the concept. How will studying this topic benefit you, your profession, or your workplace? I think this concept will be of benefit to everyone, everywhere because, it will help, after 2500 years of misuse, realize the concept of democracy using new technology. Excerpt: a plan to establish a direct democracy, which is the electorate voting directly on legislative issues along with their elected representatives. I agree but I also think we live in an ADD culture where the only information absorbed/believed is that of the 20 or 15 second sound bite! Howard (responding to Darryl and me) Direct Democracy is something I've never heard of, but certainly sounds like an interesting idea, especially in the internet age we live in. Direct democracy is about the citizens helping to decide the methods by which they are governed rather than electing representatives who can, after they are elected, vote any way they choose. Concerning my idea, it should be kept in mind that all voting in a direct democracy would be done by qualified voters. All registered voters would be able to vote in initiatives, referendums, and general elections. The public would be informed of the issues through printed and electronic media. Legislative voting on a continuous basis would require certified voters drawn from the pool of registered voters. Certified voters would be unelected members of the public assembly who would vote along with the elected officials but in a separate legislative section or house. Certification would be attained through a training and educational program similar to a master's program in graduate school, in fact, the training could become a master's program within colleges and universities. These legislative voting licenses could be revoked or suspended in proven cases of felony, fraud, or abuse. Specialized issues (medicine, etc.) would be voted on by professionals within a particular field. Security precautions for Internet voting would include encryption techniques similar to those used in online banking transactions and would use secure forms of personal identification. Laws would be enacted so that any fraudulent misuse of the system would involve severe punishment. To say that direct democracy should not implemented because of potential problems is like saying someone should not ride in a car since there is a possibility of an accident occurring. If there is truly validity to the concept of democracy then the concept of direct democracy will become reality at some point even if it is not within our lifetimes. Perhaps we can all make it happen soon enough so that we can experience it too. I understand what you are saying, however now I have another concern. You mentioned certification might be like a masters program in a school. The reason for certification is to supply the training and skills involved in creating legislation in the same way a teacher is licensed to teach, a pilot to fly, or a doctor to practice medicine. But remember, the major public issues contained within the initiatives, referendums, recalls, and general elections could be voted on by all of the registered voters. And speaking of being class based, I think the Congress now is very class based and exclusive. It is always a good idea to hear of what can possibly go wrong with a system or potential problems so that most of the bugs of a system can be worked out prior to its implementation. Please let me hear of any others that you think of along the way during this course. I guess you have just peaked my interest on this so.... I do recognize I am, perhaps, carrying the argument to the extreme but I do see some dangers in this part of the plan. Of course, the "founding fathers" restricted voting to land owners. I probably should not have clouded the waters by mentioning specialized issues because they would really be external to the system I am describing. For example, organizations like the AMA (American Medical Association) would have their own democratic system where they would vote on issues affecting their profession and their profession's relationship to society such as whether or not to use a particular procedure or drug, etc. I whole-heartedly agree that our system of government is flawed. Direct Democracy would solve some of these problems, but will certainly generate others. As responsible people, we are obligated to consider the consequences of such a change (intended or otherwise), and make adjustments to our plan to minimize these consequences. Here is a reply for each of your 3 points you mentioned: 1. Democracy has always been about majority rule. That is partly what unions (such as trade unions) are about. And as we know that there is strength in numbers, minorities can band together. A coalition of minorities can make a majority. “In unity there is strength” from Aesop's Fables, The Bundle of Sticks . 2. All registered voters would vote in general elections, initiatives, recalls, and referendums. The legislative training can be given to poor people who qualify (who will spend the time and effort to study) through grants and scholarships. 3. Lobbyists might end up advertising the way Coca-Cola does on national television but they would be for more topical and time-based issues. Also, both sides could present their stories. We would just have to wait and see how that aspect would play out. That would also just be for the major issues. Here is an additional thought concerning democracy and financial issues: my topic involves the concept of democracy and a free market system can be considered a type of democracy where people vote on particular products or services with their dollars and cents -- or whatever currency their country uses. forms at its own will.” —Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Pinckney, 1792. “Silence is the virtue of fools” -- Francis Bacon. My topic involves the concept of democracy and a free market system can be considered a type of democracy where people vote with their dollars and cents -- or whatever currency their country uses. DIRECT DEMOCRACY RESEARCH The methods to research and develop this concept can include interviews with politicians, some of them in the Georgia State Capitol and in the Athens City Hall and others via email. I don't know if I could arrange a trip to Washington, D.C. during this course but some time I would like to interview some politicians and government workers in Washington, D.C. in person though some perhaps could be contacted via the Internet through emailed surveys and questionnaires. Also, I hope to interview political science teachers at the junior high and high school levels as well as at the University of Georgia , Georgia State University , and Emory University . Some could be contacted in person or by telephone and some with email through the Internet to ask their thoughts on direct democracy and Internet voting. Also, some email questionnaires could be sent out to the general public or people that I know who are in my Internet address book including fellow participants in previous Capella courses. Also, research would involve reading and commenting on books, magazine articles, trade journal articles, and online documents. Libraries can be used at the University of Georgia and Georgia State University as well as public libraries in Athens and Atlanta , GA. I also have a substantial library myself on books on the topics of direct democracy and Internet voting which I have accumulated while studying with Capella University . The research will involve analyses of the concepts and possible scenarios for the implementation of a direct democracy. Also, research will be done on organizations and countries that already use a similar system such as the one in Switzerland as described in Direct Democracy in Switzerland (2002) by Gregory Fossedal. Part of this procedure is to develop a possible action plan for the implementation of the concept and to begin to develop a curriculum to prepare students and citizens for the implementation of direct democracy and, once it is initiated, to sustain its continuous operation. Part of this plan is to develop a concept to describe the governmental system and the infrastructure which will provide the framework of that governmental system. In addition to the above mentioned methods of research and conceptual development, I plan on constructing a website for the concept to help create a forum of discussion principles of democracy and a method by which to dispense information pertaining to the topic. I am thinking of calling it “Democracy 2020” for a few reasons. One, it has a nice sound to it; two, it is easy to remember; three, the term 2020 signifies clear vision; and fourth, and primarily, the year 2020 is a goal for a year by which to have the concept implemented in its initial form. The phrase could be continued to be used even after the year 2020 unless another term is voted on to be used after that time. My influences for this plan are many and varied. Ranging from the ancient Greek philosophers of democracy from around 500 B.C. to Adam Smith to Karl Marx to John Dewey to Sigmund Freud to Friedrich Nietzsche and to Jean-Paul Sartre, to name a few. Perhaps one of my influences is David Schwartz who wrote “The Magic of Thinking Big” and who I had as a professor in a marketing class who taught to start with a big idea. This concept will have macro and micro elements to it. The advantage of starting the concept at the macro, or national, level is that at the national level everything would filter down and the procedures would become standardized and universally understandable whereas if they all originated at micro, or local, level and then later all the subsystems would, perhaps with difficulty, try to later form the national system. In other words, if the system progressed from micro to macro then there would probably be a diversity of procedures that might be later difficult to consolidate. The idea is for the use of computer and Internet technology for voting on levels ranging from national/federal, to state, to local/city/town, down to organizations and individual schools and clubs, all the way down to the individual voter. All of this would be guided by the collective consciousness and the “unseen hand” as described by Adam Smith. Voter Competence: I have also voiced concern about the preparedness of people to participate "knowledgeably" in such a system and we have discussed this many times. It would be interesting to get the opinions of those in office about such a system. I wonder if they would support it or resist because of their vested interest in the present system. No Jobs lost! (or no job left behind) In response to your first point, I would hope that the educational system and media would supply the knowledge base to the participants in this system. As far as the job security of those politicians and government workers already in office, my idea will have the public voting with the legislators, in a separate house, (in the first phase of the plan as an opinion poll collection method) so that the elected legislators will remain in their positions. If anything, it would create more jobs rather than fewer; however, as a result of this system, we might find substantially more lobbyists drowning their sorrows on an ideological skid row. I have read with interest your presentation of your proposed project in unit 1 and your discussion of research here. Though you and I have not met up in previous courses to have heard of this topic already--as several people have alluded to--I believe I have a firm grasp of the theory and practice behind direct democracy. After this class and getting all my materials together I will see what I can do about presenting this to the public (in publications,etc.) but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Interesting topic. I have not heard much about direct democracy before. It sounds like it can create quite a bureaucracy. What are the grassroots efforts that need to be accomplished to get Direct Democracy off the ground? Can it be started locally through school boards, city councils, county supervisors and move to larger centers? How long before it is taught across the nation? Would this too have to begin local and move national? Very aggressive research! The grassroots efforts would involve getting the public enthusiastic about the idea. -- to get the word out, maybe someone should tell Oprah about the idea. The goal is for this idea to permeate every aspect and level of society to make a working democracy. The concept could start being discussed right away (as we are doing now) and it can be taught in schools when it becomes part of the accepted educational curriculum. Every social movement really begins with an individual or collections of individuals, but now that we have the technology of a mass media and the Internet, the collection of all individuals of a nation (or of the world, for that matter) can be communicated with instantaneously, so that is another reason for starting this on a national level. Richard I admire your courage in trying to change the world. Your top-down approach makes logical sense when you describe it, but will it work in the "real-world"? Most of the time, there's at least a model on the micro-level which the macro-level leaders can follow. For example, small jurisdictions enfranchised women, giving proof to the argument that women could successfully participate in the body politic, before women's suffrage was granted nationally. OBJECTIVES: To conduct a thorough review of literature on the subject. It looks like the curriculum for implementation and sustainment of direct democracy is the capstone of your project. Very ambitious. The idea might sound ambitious but it is not nearly as ambitious as the Internet itself: it is another practical use of the for the Internet. RESEARCH METHODS: Interviews. I plan on making questionnaires referring to the Dillman book on how to conduct them and I hope to get some of the results during this course to show you and the other course participants. Richard My topic involves the concept of democracy and a free market system can also be considered a type of democracy where people vote with their dollars and cents -- or whatever currency their country uses. An idea for federal government revenue: Here is something that could be considered for a referendum to be voted on by the public: a federal sales tax. We would need to get our calculators out for this but I think if every retail sale in each of the 50 states had a 1 or 2 % federal sales tax then over a period of time the federal coffers could be filled and people would not even realize that they are being taxed -- sort of a pay-as-you-go plan with the funds flowing like water running through pipes. These would all be done with electronic transfers at cash registers so that it becomes automatic, similar to automatic bank drafts, without actual paper money cash payments required. Perhaps this process could substantially decrease, and eventually eliminate, the jolting lump sums and fines of income taxes that are now used to generate federal government revenue. Richard I think politicians are becoming more aware of the political uses of the Internet (they all have websites) and will adapt to the use of the Internet as a voting instrument as the concept becomes more developed. Concerning political parties, I have always wondered why everyone feels they have to join one political party or another rather than independently voting for the candidate of their choice. 4 to 6 million lost votes With your voting experiences in Florida that you mentioned in Unit One, I thought might be interested in the following statistics and the accompanying article. The report was written by some of the highest ranking academics in two of the highest ranking universities in the United States , Caltech and MIT. The report is titled: a Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project entitled Voting: What is, What could be. This is an intriguing evaluative study that I would suggest for everyone to read, especially for those interested in future of democracy and political institutions. The evaluation was done by teams of researchers from Caltech and MIT and can be read in its entirety by activating the link in the reference below. In Part One of the Report the authors say that: "We estimate that between four and six million presidential votes were lost in the 2000 election. These are qualified voters who wanted to vote but could not or were not counted. (Losses occur for two reasons: first, some voters do not, or cannot, participate due to problems with voter registration or polling place practices; second, some votes that are cast are not counted due to problems with ballots.) Two million ballots, two percent of the 100 million ballots cast for president in 2000, were not counted because they were unmarked, damaged, or ambiguous. Of this two percent it is estimated that 0.5 percent did not intend to vote for president, so 1.5 percent (or 1.5 million people) thought they voted for president but their votes were not counted". (Caltech/MIT, 2001, 8). In this well planned and conducted 92 page evaluative report there are numerous statistics as well as suggestions as to how to remedy the problems associated with public voting and how to incorporate new available technology to implement their suggestions. I will post the curriculums later but they would go through K-12 and post-secondary and adult education to prepare citizens to become voting members of a direct democracy system. Florida has already opened their polls. I received a phone call this week telling me that I could cast my votes any day this week. Personally, I order absentee ballots. This way, I am not surprised when I enter the voting booth by seeing voting issues that were not mentioned in the newspapers. I have the option of mailing in my ballot (which I have already) or of using my absentee ballot to take the time to look at all issues. Then I have the option to go to the poll, have my absentee ballot destroyed and then cast my vote at the poll. If I can vote ahead of time why can't we all have a longer time period for traditional voting? Will you be addressing the issue of having a percentage of the electoral votes going to each candidate determined by total votes instead of having all go to one candidate? I have always wondered about that: why the total number of electoral votes of a state goes to a candidate rather than a percentage based on the number of votes received by the candidates. I have read the Constitution several times looking for that point and I have not seen where it says that all of the electoral votes goes to one candidate. By the way, my idea of Internet voting is a separate issue from the Electoral College so my idea could conceivably coexist with it but the archaic Electoral College at some point in the future will be replaced. For many years Americans have asked why we are limited to a twelve hour period to cast votes when other countries allow several days or more for voters to cast their votes. Will your project address this issue? In Athens , GA we can vote during the week before the election day so I plan on voting next week. I will address that issue in my project also. When over seas, I have gotten absentee ballots and have also used them while I have been in the USA for the same reason that you mentioned – so that the issues can be studied and considered prior to the voting procedures. One reason for having the ballots online is that they issues can be studied prior to going into the voting booth. Is your focus of Switzerland to show how succesful Direct Democracy can be for a nation? Are there other examples? Will you be exploring the opponents' views of Direct Democracy? You seem to have a great resource list. You appear to be very passionate about this topic, and I hope it proves to be a great project. You have an impressive list. I particularly liked that you included some texts which addressed the question of managing change. For your project to succeed, I think understanding the sociology of how change occurs at a cultural level will be essential. When the United States Constitution was written, the forefathers wrote an all-encompassing and a sweeping document that is still relevant, has stood the test of time, and has withstood the difficulties, controversies, and amendments that have occurred during its existence. But this document was written around 1776 and the society at the time was very different from the society of today. The forefathers, even with all of their foresight and all-inclusiveness were not able to factor in dramatic future changes in technology and, resultingly, in society. They could not have foreseen a future with telephones, radios, televisions, cars, airplanes, jet engines, rockets, computers, the Internet, etc. Now that the new technologies are here and will continue to grow, advance, and be perfected, we need to examine how this affects society, the government, and the Constitution. Direct democracy is a concept which began in ancient Athens , Greece where all citizens voteddirectly on legislativeissues. In the modern world, direct democracy was considered impractical toimplement on a large scale but it is now possible with the advent of computer and Internet technologies. Ithink some version of what I am proposing will happen in the future since people should determine theirown future and methods of government which is, after all, the meaning of democracy even though there isalways resistance and skepticism to new ideas — though beginning 2500 years ago, democracy canhardly be considered a new idea. The same people who are concerned about Internet fraud for voting areprobably unconcerned about online banking transactions, which is how practically all funds are transferrednowadays, and the same type of technology can be used in Internet voting. Also, perhaps somelegislators feel that their jobs and roles are threatened but my idea involves adding direct democracy to therepresentative legislatures and not replacing them completely.
In its military campaigns the government of the United States says it wants to promote and protectdemocracy. But is the United States a democracy? It is a republic or a representative democracy. Anexample of a democracy within the United States federal government is the U.S. Congress where themembers debate and vote usually for a simple majority to win a case or a referendum or to pass a bill.When a presidential election is held today well over 100 million people can vote. The United StatesConstitution created the electoral college for, I have heard, several reasons and one of them is to prevent mob rule or for a government run by the uneducated (though now, most people are receiving high levels of education in comparison with the past of the forefathers). Another possible reason that the electoral college was institutionalized was because, at the time the Constitution was written, if a national election were to be held, tallying the votes would be an almost impossible task. Then, a sack of votes, or the results of local voting, would have to be sent by a messenger riding horseback. Just carrying the votes from California (or Georgia , during the time of the 13 colonies) to Washington , D.C. could take weeks, that is, if they ever got to their destination. Today, we live in a very different world where messages are transmitted instantaneously worldwide via telephones, computers, or the Internet. Direct democracy is a concept which began in ancient Athens , Greece where all citizens voted directly on legislative issues. In the modern world, direct democracy was considered impractical to implement on a large scale but it is now possible with the advent of computer and Internet technologies. I think some version of what I am proposing will happen in the future since people should determine their own future and methods of government which is, after all, the meaning of democracy even though there is always resistance and skepticism to new ideas — though beginning 2500 years ago, democracy can hardly be considered a new idea. The same people who are concerned about Internet fraud for voting are probably unconcerned about online banking transactions, which is how practically all funds are transferred nowadays, and the same type of technology can be used in Internet voting. Also, perhaps some legislators feel that their jobs and roles are threatened but my idea involves adding direct democracy to the representative legislatures and not replacing them completely. My idea is not to eliminate the U.S. Congress as it exists now but to add a new section: the Public Assembly. The passage of a bill would require a majority vote in each of the 3 sections: the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Public Assembly. The difference in the three sections is that the Public Assembly would have many more voters and would exist in the virtual world of cyberspace. (A similar concept could be utilized on the state and local levels also). Some might think of the idea as revolutionary but I prefer to call it evolutionary. I think the technology of computers and the Internet is much more revolutionary and what could be more revolutionary and radical than the American Revolutionary War and the accompanying documents of independence? Rather than a radical idea, this is an idea to utilize existing technology to realize an ancient ideal. In describing the military it is interesting to note the irony that the military is a non-democratic institution protecting a theoretically democratic institution (in our case, the USA ). The military is a top-down, obey-the-orders organization where many personal freedoms are forfeited while serving within the military structure since that is about the only way a military can function effectively. The military also has its own judicial system. So these characteristics should be conveyed to the potential recruits also. about a draft: When I was in Korea I learned that every South Korean male is required to serve in the military for two years (unless there is a rare exemption for them, usually for health reasons). I think serving one's country in some capacity might be a good idea. It would not necessarily have to be in the military if that means every citizen in the USA : it could be Peace Corps or government offices of some sort. I don't believe a military draft is a good idea because voluntary service affords a higher level of quality than forcing people to join. If people are forced into an organization that they do not want to be in they can cause more trouble than help to a cause. I just met someone, Joe, who was in the Navy as a career and for a while he was on a submarine. He said that at one point there was a saboteur on board who was writing anonymous and threatening notes and scaring everyone on board. Joe said he thought it was on of the young officers who did not want that assignment. Looks like you've considered most everything in your plan. The curriculum section looks good. As a matter of fact I think it would make sense to use something like that in the schools for voting even as it is now. The curriculum is an outline and I will add tomorrow some of the outline going up through post secondary and adult education. As this concept develops, each year, or grade, of school would need to have a textbook written for it to solidify the curriculum -- which can of course be later revised and changed as the needs arise. as I have stated many times I know how passionate you are about this project and topic. The project is well thought out. The curriculum seems as though it would fit with those found in most school districts. This is the type of project where I could envision schools taking part in a pilot to demonstrate its effectiveness in not teaching amount democracy but also promoting critical thinking skills. The idea is for this curriculum to be included in Social Studies, Political Science, and Civics courses though I think perhaps a set of text books devoted to the subject could be developed. You have a fantastic outline and plan. If you click on the curriculum link in my outline you will see that this plan starts with pre-kindergarten and will go up through post-secondary and adult education. This will be presented primarily by school teachers in public and private schools but it could also be taught by tutors and parents in home schooling environments or possibly in business, company, community, or government organizations. You have really thought out your outline for your project. As stated by others, your project would be greatly used in the curriculum today. Textbooks play a part in perpetuating our misperceptions by presenting an unrealistic, almost mythical version of history and the American dream. Textbook investigation leads to a more critical understanding of target audiences and the "purpose" of writing any particular material. The focus of education must be the possibilities of tomorrow. Students must be given the ability to read the world while simultaneously learning to empathize with the individuals in the world. I compliment you on the high level to which you have thought through your project already. I reviewed your entire outline (with the exception of trying out the related websites) and found it to be comprehensive. As someone shared with me in earlier units, I am pleased to see that you intend to present arguments both for and against direct democracy; this balance will strengthen your position regardless of your ultimate argument. I have got ideas for the implementation of the governmental and voting procedures and also for the curriculum but implementing would involve many people – not just me.
I will try to get lists of as many of the Social Science teachers and politicians as I can send out as many as I can. I think for a completely blind or surprise mailing the response can be 3% but with specialized focus groups such as these maybe 10 to 30% so it depends on how many I send out. We'll just have to wait and see. In your arguments for and against section, do you plan to address the issue of state's rights? Why did the founders feel the need to protect small states from the popular vote by creating the Senate and the electoral college? Are these reasons still valid? My idea is to add a public section to the legislatures but to leave everything else intact. The idea in the Congress is for the House of Representatives to reflect the populations of the states and for the Senate to have equal representation so that in the Senate Rhode Island is equal to California though in terms of population, economy, and land area many Rhode Islands could be placed inside of California. The states will continue to have state sovereignty so that the big states can not bully the smaller states. It is interesting that the word state is usually used to describe a national government -- such as the state government of India -- so the United States can be seen to be like a collection of 50 countries which is one reason that the USA has become the superpower that it is, in addition to everyone being able to communicate with the same verbal language (in Europe, every country has its own language and that slows down international communication quite a bit). My idea is only to enhance or enrich the existing structure of government on the local, state, and federal level by adding the direct democracy element that I have been describing. Fantastic outline. In reading the quotes of the some of the founding fathers, one has considered whether the language of democracy is symbolic of what democracy is today; that is, the politicking of democracy and its working within a capitalistic and credential society. Or, is the beauty of democracy is its ability to withstand manipulation and skewed interpretation by an elite few for whom its language has come to benefit? Great job. I think the language in the Constitution is fairly clear but there are some phrases that people can debate the meaning of. For example, what does the “right to bear arms” mean or something as general as “the pursuit of happiness” which can have a different meaning to every reader? I think some of the legal documents that are written today are written so that people will not understand them. That is the problem with some referendums that people are asked to vote on. Sometimes with the way they are worded the voter does not know if they are voting for or against something. Your project outline is an excellent base to build on. The portions of you're your plan that are hyperlinked are well thought out and well written. I look forward to reading the completed project. In your current outline, I particularly enjoyed the following: Rationale for Direct Democracy: By including the history of Democracy (both in the early years of the USA when the Constitution was written and during earlier ages in Greece ) and then comparing these to our age of technology, you managed to make a convincing point. While many believe that we should not change the rules that our forefathers created, this truly is a new world as we are brought closer by new technologies. Therefore, we should seriously consider changing with the times. At the same time, we should be very careful to preserve our Constitution when the rationale for change is not for the benefit of the majority of US citizens. A Curriculum for the Implementation of Direct Democracy: As an educator (as opposed to a politician) you have created a plan to educate our citizens from an early age to understand and participate in a true democratic society. This is a well thought out plan that starts at an age that I would not have considered. Yet it is a plan that makes voting and democracy understandable at each age level and that promotes understanding as learning objectives gradually build on the objectives achieved in the previous years. Quotes and More Quotes: This is a light-hearted and thought-provoking way to start the reader on his/her path to understanding your plan. Links, links and more links: You certainly provide many informational sources for the reader of your plan to consider. An interesting speculative exercise would be to imagine what document the same forefathers of 1776 would write if they wrote the Constitution today. I think that changes in technology would definitely affect the resulting document. Also, I do not think so much power would have been given to the president, in fact, I think that was not the original intention but that is the way the government has evolved up to this point. But the document they wrote did allow for change, or changing the rules as you phrased it, and that is why amendments are allowed. I just read in the New York Review of Books that over 500 million dollars a year is spent maintaining lobbyists in Washington . How many school lunches is that (or how many bribes)? Lobbyists could try to influence large numbers of people but they would not be able to bribe millions of people whereas sliding a few enticements under the table to swing-voting legislators would be relatively easier to do. Clarification:The New York Review of Books in an article about the Saudi Arabia 's relationship to the U.S.A. mentions that Saudi Arabia , to improve its image in the United States , spent "$17.6 million on lobbyists in the U.S. since September 11, 2001, according to the Justice Department." If only Saudi Arabia spent that much then how much would the amount be including all world governments and large corporations? That is difficult to ascertain since much of what goes on in that arena is clandestine and indirect. The article also mentions that “local American lobbyists booked some $890 million worth of trade in 2003 alone to influence state governments.” (Rodenbeck, 2004) I think that, just as with learning a foreign language, the earlier in life a student begins learning a concept the better off and more fulfilled they are when they become adults. I heard my father say once that what is usually quoted is actually taken out of context and that the complete biblical quotation is “the love of money is the root of all evil” and I think stated that way the statement has a very different meaning. I think your concept of collaborative learning has a similar goal as mine which involves inclusiveness and finding the unique value and abilities in each student where all of the students are politically or socially equal to the others. I think developing my project – which includes the related readings and content creation -- as well as reading the developments of the other course participants' projects and following their line of thinking about their projects and mine and reading and responding to their comments and suggestions are the most significant learning experiences that I have had during this course. I have made a point in being actively engaged as I have read every posting and have responded to several and have responded to all of the comments that have been made about my project. I hope that in the final weeks I can devote full attention to the development of my concept and project. By the way, my project will really have two aspects to it for the purposes of this course. One will be the APA formatted paper and the other will be the Internet online version of my project which will be geared more toward public consumption and involve more interactive and computer related items. You are right that the USA is a historically new country but according to the 1970 Encyclopedia Britannica article on democracy the practice of democracy was revived -- after laying dormant for over 2000 years from its ancient Greece origins – by the American Revolution of 1776. Dear Research Staff: I have composed a survey containing Likert items (scale ranging from agree to disagree) and closed-ended questions with some optional open-ended questions. I would like to obtain an e-mail mailing address list for:members of Congress and Social Studies and Political Science teachers (of all levels from K-12 up through post-secondary and adult education) This project is for a master's program I am involved in. The topic concerns the use of new technology and the advantages and disadvantages of direct and representative democracy. Any information along these lines would be appreciated. Yes,2020, besides having a nice ring to it and meaning clear vision, would be the year for the implementation goal. Everybody in this class is watching each other's projects grow so we are all understanding that these are works-in-progress and I think of this project as an evolutionary project. I am getting some people interested I think but I want to have it developed to a certain level before I present it to some people of influence (yes, I think all the participants in the class are people of influence, but you know what I mean) or people who can help make this happen. I am going to join the American Political Science Association (I just spoke to a University of Georgia professor in this field) so I will see where that will lead. A quotation concerning ongoing projects: "A poem is never finished, only abandoned." - Paul Valery (1871-1945) In Washington State we have had a series of "public initiatives," most backed by conservative anti-tax groups. There "reforms" have been so numerous and so damaging to the local economy that I think many people who first flocked to the idea (because of the disenfranchisement that you write about) are equally suspicious of the initiative process. _____________________________________________________ _______________________________ |