[Sosfbay-discuss] One dollar, one vote, was [No great press out of Pennsylvania]

[Tian Harter]

Gerry Gras wrote:

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> Tian Harter wrote:
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>> I'm thinking there is one dollar one vote marketplace democracy.
>> As in, "the electoral system is so spoiled by corruption that we
>> have to speak with out dollars in the marketplace." It's based on
>> old fashioned american values of independance, common sense
>> and faith that the facts will speak for themselves eventually.
>>
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> I think I agree that people should vote in the marketplace with
> their dollars. I say "I think" because I have not really thought
> it out. If everyone did that it might lead to those whose politics
> were unpopular might have trouble surviving economically. But as
> I said I have not thought it out.

What I've learned is that the role of religion and free speech
are totally different when you take one dollar one vote seriously.
Selling five MEND YOUR FUELISH WAYS stickers to a Food Not Bombs
activist so "my county's feeding program can go totally fossil fuel free"
took on a mythical significance to me.

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> ...
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> I would like to point out that part of the reason our democracy is
> so sick is because practically speaking, our politicians are now
> bought with money, not votes, so in a sense, the problem is that
> our system now is one dollar - one vote, instead of one person
> - one vote.
>
The role of privacy issues in public debate gets interesting to.
I'm a private party. Anybody that goes to a gas station is probably
also private party. Every business trading goods and services
with the public is also a private party on some level. The thing
is, people with something to hide tend to think money isn't that
interesting until you have at least four digits in the numbers on
the table. I'm listening to the radio. Thoms Friedman is saying
that the Bush Administration has "no moral authority."
Respecting privacy is one of those things government gets moral
authority from. I like to think my local governement respects my
privacy. I'd hate to think I had no government I can respect.

You don't have to invade someones privacy to find out if they
waste energy. They will tell you. People that brag about taking
a vacation in (exotic foreign place here) are saying "I used lots
of energy for nothing but my own entertainment." People that
show up driving Hummers are obviously wasting energy. It's
remarkable how transparent the energy issue is, from my point
of view.

-- 
Tian
http://tian.greens.org
I went camping over the weekend. Looking at the stars, I 
got to thinking that reading words about them probably hits
the eye with way more light then they actually send us.