I was pretty happy, The Democracy Project don't claim to be using Management theories to run their project -- Maybe they aren't the front group I was worried about and may even be sincere (if partisan) so I replied to him in an email and also posted my reply as a reply on the blog entry. I was going to close the blog to further comments, but decided to keep it open in case he wanted to reply. My email came back "Mailbox full" so I guess my hopes got too high too fast. I'll try to email him again later. I'd love nothing more than to take part in a genuine democracy project -- but that would have to be one pursued on a consensus basis. I'm going to instigate it anyway. I'm good at instigating things.
To me the biggest problem with my "colleagues" from the other side of the planet is that those of them with "totalitarian tendancies" (or kleptocrat tendancies) are currently dominating the party. Maybe he'd be for educating Republicans on democratic republican core principles. We'll see.
Anyway, all of us should be serious about reforming Democracy. Both Republicans and Democrats, if they are honest, should be able to see that our Democracy is in serious trouble. On the one hand monied interests have an increasing amount of power over most of the Government, State as well as Federal. On the other hand there is an increasing tendancy for some to see the legistlature as a mere impediment to efficiency and to scorn the common people. This tendancy is a tendancy that leads to fascist behavior if it is left unchecked. Even people like just retired Judge Sandra Day O'Connor are starting to sound the warning on this. It should be a bi-partisan concern (but it isn't). What is the cure?
There is no total cure (see entry on Totalitarianism), but the answer to imperfect democracy is not less Democracy, but better democracy and more Democracy.
What does that mean?
The answer to totalitarian thinking is appreciating that good decisions requires taking into consideration a variety of opinions. And that is the principle behind democracy: "Let the people govern themselves, with good information one gets better outcomes."
We have to analyze what makes a "good democracy" and what makes one that is malignant. Of course for business interests versus labor, elites versus commoners, the definition of a 'good democracy' will vary. But I think that if we all think together we can come up with some common notions -- at least in the US. Anyway I'm wondering if I'll hear from that guy again. Meanwhile I'm not holding my breath.
Note reedited march 13
Posted by cholte at March 8, 2006 11:56 PM