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Today we discuss the meaning of democracy. First let's say what we do NOT mean. We do not mean the type of representative government where the elite have nearly complete control of all government processes, directly or indirectly. Having a Congress...a "people's body"...elected anew every two years seems to be a good idea. But what is that Senate thing? Two senators per state regardless of population...a six year term...sounds a lot like the archaic House of Lords in the land we fought a war to be rid of. The purpose of such bodies is to be able to override anything that doesn't suit the power elite...to keep the "mob"...us...from being able to work our will, since we can't be trusted, doncha know?

Consider elections. Many people believe that "free" and "fair" elections are all that is necessary to define democracy. Anyone who is not brain dead realizes that our elections are neither free nor fair. In the rest of the world's democracies the situation is generally even worse. In the past election in Iran, anyone who might conceivably actually challenge Ahmadinejad was banned from running. The outgoing Russian leader, Putin, simply named his successor. Finally, we remind you that Hitler was elected in Germany in the 1932 election, the same year that gave us FDR.

It isn't the conduct of the election that matters in defining democracy, it is rather the behavior of the winners and their relationship to us, the mob, that matters. We are about to have an "historic" election. We fearlessly predict that Obama will win by a landslide. So what? He will ascend to an office which, in the past eight years, has expanded both in power an in scope to unimaginable heights compared to the vision of our Founding Fathers. What ever happened to separation of powers? In short, it isn't the election that is important, but the system into which newly elected candidates are thrust. "Good" people can not make a true impact in an "un-good" system.

So, how to fix it? First, we must get rid of the elitist Senate. We need the initiative on the national level so that the people themselves can introduce legislation. We need the recall, a way to un-elect our "mistakes." Simple majority rule...which encourages division and discord, the truly artificial splitting into "red" and "blue" factions...should be abandoned and we should go to a super majority rule when it comes to law making. That is, in order to become law, some large percentage...we favor "Milgram’s Number"...5/6ths or about 83 percent...should be required to enact it. Why? The late Stanley Milgram, a Harvard social psychologist, determined experimentally that this is the cutoff point where theories become facts. And why should our laws not be based on what a large majority think is the facts? Finally, all laws should have sunset clauses, a period of time after which they must either be re-enacted or they automatically are removed from the books.

These four simple but very powerful constitutional changes would go a long way toward making our system truly democratic. The initiative and recall would give great pwoer to the mob. Super majority rule would keep both the elites and the mob from creating stupid and corrupt laws, often enacted in times of seeming crisis which are damaging to our system. Sunset provisions, would be the final recourse even if such stupid law does come about despite these other precautions.

Let's face it. The mob has become very sophisticated, despite the small minority...of mostly McCain followers...who will be guided by any outrageous lie that supports their preconceived and medieval prejudices. The changes mentioned will protect the system from the excesses of the mob, but will also rein in the elites, a solution whose time has arrived.

Talk to you later...

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