Solutions: Our Democracy #2... unrepresentative shit!

[genericname4321]

You're right. Self-reinforcing two party dominance and regionalism create pork barrel spending and inferior governance. It's only fair to point out PR's flaws. The most significant issue is the loss of accountability. However badly they may represent me (I'm too young to vote so it's a moot point), my community has greater selection in theory. I have not yet seen a better proposal than the Center for Range Voting's, but public awareness > petty ideological disputes. Thank you.

[Romka1989]

People will vote McCain because he was in the army, in action-fucktion, some football team bullshit and he's a Christian. Oh yeah, excellent.

POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOP OF SELF-DESTRUCTION.

[xesclub101]

more people need to learn this stuff. right now, people don't know shit because they're so stuck on themselves and close their minds to new ideas - great vids! keep up the good work...

[xesclub101]

this is definitely an exciting and practical solution to what we currently have (not some utopian dream). unfortunately, (obstacle) a lot of people have no clue about what you're talking about; furthermore (i tend to believe - obstacle), your proposition goes against our government's established system -politicians don't want to "transition," it's too much hard work - but yes - I have to completely agree with your direction here (logical & sensible - to me!).

[eastcoasterdeniro]

Ted Nugget is now a you tube subscriber

[TheMajesticCow]

Fuck voting and fuck democracy.

[schloxic]

Robert Plant does youtube!!!

[boysoutofmoney]

do u like metal

[acideos]

great idea...though i dought the rich americans that control the government would let it happen..

[warthog212]

"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."

[inmendham]

"""with the average voter""""

but five minutes with the average elitist fixes that.

[JSResponds]

The main issue is how the votes would be counted and verified.

[inmendham]

accountability/integrity would have two extra guarantees... voters would be informed where their vote went... and elected candidates would have a complete list of people they "represent". --- providing opportunity for cross checking.

[JSResponds]

Such a simple solution, and I hadn't thought of it.

[inmendham]

Allways like it when you stop be...hows "flucky" doing:+)

[heavymetaIgoat]

I don't see that happening anytime in the near future. When you talk about geography, something definitely has to be done about Gerrymandering. There are some weird looking Congressional districts that were made just to put a party or candidate into power.

[GonzoBillTong]

its good because you wanna fix democracy, Awsome video sad and inspirational. we need to look at democracy and fix it but as long as greedy people are running the show its not going to happen. So its up to the people to want the change.

[OpenMind38]

I think electronic voting machines need to go! That's a big problem. There need's to be no way to cheat. I don't know why they changed a system that had no previous problem's.

[inmendham]

"""why they changed a system that had no previous problem's."""

lots of previous problems, take a look at the junk ass machines they are still using in New York... as long as there is a computer and paper receipt, nothing wrong with electronic voting. another good thing about my system is individuals would have to be informed who eventually got their vote, and is now their representative, so accountability would be essentially be 100% perfect.

[OpenMind38]

Did you see hacking democracy? HBO special. Maybe check it out if you haven't.

[eternalundylnglove]

*1* it's fair

*2* it will work

[richardshort2001]

It is a very interesting idea, but I do have a couple of questions. Does each representative get exactly one vote, regardless of the amount of the population supports him? If so, why not just have a direct democracy?

[richardshort2001]

Also, one flaw I see (assuming I am understanding this correctly) is that yes, let's say the gays (or any other minority) now have representation, but now the only politicians who have any reason to fight for gay rights are the gay reps. This makes it even harder to achieve, I think.

[inmendham]

on the gay thing I think the opposite would be true... I think a real clear majority of people have no interest in suppressing gay-rights (but don't care enough not to)... once economic conservatives no longer have to vote for(with) religious nuts a think a lot of social policy would lighten up

[inmendham]

representatives receiving votes in excess of the number to be elected... would be in power to transfer those votes to other viable candidates... presumably with values very consistent to their own.

[ric4567]

Hi, these are the Problems I see:

* what if no one wants to compromise?

look at pre WW2 Germany (thats why they have a 5% rule: if a Party has less than 5% Votes it won't get seats)

[ric4567]

*how would you get known all Candidates from all over the USA if there is no geographic Bound? you have potentially thousands of Candidates to choose from.

Wouldn't it boil down that a candidate makes most advertisement near his home and there is his biggest voter base (with all the funny things that come with that)

[ric4567]

*what would happen if 99% vote for one Person and 1% vote for another (very simplified) both Persons would have the same vote in the end right?

don't get me wrong: I thought a direct vote would be great (there was a camaign in Germany in the 60s: "Women vote for Women" which *did* some changes.

The Problem Imho is, that most people are lazy and just vote for the first Persons on the ballot

[ric4567]

comes to mind:

how would you distribute the Positions on the list?

with potentially thousands of candidates the one in the end has a significant disadvantage (ok this is technical...)

[inmendham]

candidates would have identification numbers (listed online, and in newspapers)... and voters would punch in the numbers on electronic systems... or punch out (fill in) "Chads" on paper ballots indicating the identification number(s)

[inmendham]

frankly don't have to shake a man's hand to know what he stands for... there is the Internet ...there is youtube... there is cable television.... its is way past time we use these resources for something productive.

[inmendham]

I think the end result would be a lot more itemized legislation... no more of these big giant preposterous everything bills with every kind of pork and crap in them...

[vegrin]

Hi. I think what you are doing is really good. I come from Norway, and we already have a parlamentary system. It works pretty well, and seems to me to be far more democratic that the system in the US. The only problem with it is that there is a "slowness" in the system that makes it less responsive to rapid change, which might make it less effective in a large country as the US. Norway is small and it works better than any other system I know for us.

[vegrin]

Norway is also a social democracy. And one of our late prime ministers coined this proverb: "a society cannot progress, unless all of the society progress together." I think that is a pretty fine thing to say for a leader, and I wish that some of our later politicians would take him up on it...

[HoldinCoffee]

I'm all for reform. I'm sick of the current system and would like there to be an opportunity for legitimate change. Its certainly both fair and possible. Actually, I think its overdue.

[BellaTheHappyLoser]

So, if i vote for new fresh great party, my vote will get lost, because that party has a bad PR. This subject is big. (my country is democratic, but it still sucks, but system you are talking about is similar to some european countries)

[BellaTheHappyLoser]

Croatia has a similar system, that you are talking about. We have elections(geographical - selecting representative on a local level, and based on ideology - selecting a party and prime minister who will represent a country). We have a president, but he has a little power. Senat has a power, and the party who is majority. The problem is - there are too much parties to choose from.

[inmendham]

The system I am suggesting would pretty much make party irrelevant and there would literally be hundreds of candidates to choose from. All voters would have to do is vote for at least one (but as many as 10) person(s) they trusted... even if that person could not be elected he would have the power to give the votes to other potentially viable candidates presumably in exchange for concessions to the ideas the inviable candidate supports.

[BellaTheHappyLoser]

Switzerland has primitive but effective system. When the political power is formed, and they are doing their job, and if one of them fuck up, you, I mean literally you, can challenge that person.(it a bit more husher then impeachment) Your system is appealing. It would take a lot of work for people to hear about it first, but then to defend it in public... and all... you know.

[FrankHarkate]

As much as PR is attractive... I think it doesn't change much. There is still too much emphasis on party politics rather than coalition forming from a broadly representative set of candidates... Germany is a good example.

[FrankHarkate]

I do like the idea of losing geographic representation... matching my vote to a candidate who has broadly the same point of view on a cadre of issues seems better than choosing between the lesser of a number of usually capitalist evils.

[inmendham]

"""Germany is a good example."""

The changes I'm talking about wouldn't simply create more parties... it would essentially eliminate parties in legislative bodies... new democracies follow the old archaic geography blue print... old democracies obviously do likewise... I frankly think it is "preposterous" to argue it wouldn't change much... no voter losing a congressional election would be a big change... no the elected representatives with a "captured constituent" would be a huge change.

[FrankHarkate]

What I mean is a change to PR alone would not be a significant enough difference... you would need the change to an ideology based constituency too...

[inmendham]

"""you would need the change to an ideology based constituency too"""

I look at this way... you have to be allowed in the argument, before you can win the argument. once viewpoints are represented, I think popular tides will change.

[anothertypo]

I don't agree with all you say,but who does agree 100% with any one.Idea's and beleives are like ass holes,everybody has one.But what i did like was all the shit the last few weeks that has been shot at you,you kept your cool and handled it very well!!!! Your a survivor.

[FrankHarkate]

Glad you are back to business...