Warren Young's WDDM Home Page
I have been studying the role of the US and other countries in international politics since the bombing of the world trade center in 2001. At the time I had believed that those responsible simply hated the American way of life, but this act seemed too extreme in response to general disapproval of another culture. Studying this problem through analysis of historical and current policies have led me to the following main conclusions about governments in general:
1) Representative democracies aren't democratic.
a) Money wins elections, therefore they represent the wishes of those who contribute money to them, not the general public.
b) Representatives pass laws to that ensure major contributors receive benefits and the public pays the costs.
c) Representative democracies corrupt themselves, because those with the most to gain from corruption ensure they find their way into power
2) Free speech isn't free
a) Major media outlets with access to the general public suppress news that is unfavorable to themselves
b) Organizations with more wealth (including the government) are better equipped to produce information, and present this position through media
c) (In the US) News is primarily entertainment, not information. The value of a channel's advertising is based on the number of viewers, therefore media profits most by showing entertaining news.
People tend to lose interest in elections because their options are limited to people who do not represent their interests. They are given biased information, and have not learned to skills needed to critically evaluate it.
Direct democracy counters the tyranny of representative democracy by placing decision making power in the hands of many people and nullifies the effect of financial influence. Modern technology not only makes direct voting practical, but topic discussion, review, and presentation. Voters have access to both sides of the debate to make an informed decision.
There are still some problems with a direct democracy model, but these are solvable.
My objective is direct democracy implemented first at local governmental levels, with referrendum power at the state and national levels. When the time is right, direct democracy is implemented at regional and national levels.
CategoryUsers
