Michael Krieger
Liberty Blitzkreig
Minority Protection
The first thing that worries people is a fear there will be no protections for minority populations within such a system. Take the U.S. for example, where approximately 80% of the population lives in urban areas and only 20% in rural. If we moved to a system where direct popular vote played a meaningful role in deciding the majority of issues, rural populations would lose out every single time. It would end up being an oppressive system for people who live in less populated areas and would tear up the U.S. even faster than is happening now.
I definitely think this sort of thing is a problem, but people misunderstand what I mean when I discuss direct democracy. Fundamentally, I'm a firm believer that governance should be radically decentralized compared to what it is today. America is a great example of a good idea gone completely off the tracks.
Localism
While the founders envisioned a decentralized structure in which core politically entities known as states would decide most issues, we're now stuck with a centralized imperial system in which virtually all major decisions are made in Washington D.C. by gangs of hopelessly corrupt and compromised politicians. But it's even worse than that. Power hasn't merely been concentrated in D.C., but it's also become increasing concentrated within the capital itself in the hands of a reckless imperial presidency.
For example, the separations of powers outlined in the Constitution when it comes to war has been all but obliterated. Congress is supposed to declare war, yet the U.S. military is involved in conflicts all over the planet, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, and Niger without any such declaration.
To illustrate how insane all of this is, read the following from a Vice article published last year:
The U.S. is currently drowning in an overly centralized and corrupt imperial government based in D.C. For direct democracy to truly function well, it should be based in local governance. I don't think it's a coincidence that the places currently using these tools most successfully, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, focus on localism.
Read more
Direct Democracy Is the Future of Human Governance – Part 1
Liberty Blitzkreig
War is not a foregone conclusion or a national necessity. Each successive occupant of the White House only needs you to believe that in order to centralize the power of an increasingly imperial presidency, stifle dissent, and chip away at what remains of civil liberties.Whenever I mention direct democracy, a certain segment of the population always comes back with a very negative knee-jerk reaction. Since this response tends to center around several concerns, today's post will dig into them and explain how such pitfalls can be structurally addressed.
- Danny Sjursen, retired US Army officer, The Pence Prophecy: VP Predicts Perpetual War at the West Point Graduation
Minority Protection
The first thing that worries people is a fear there will be no protections for minority populations within such a system. Take the U.S. for example, where approximately 80% of the population lives in urban areas and only 20% in rural. If we moved to a system where direct popular vote played a meaningful role in deciding the majority of issues, rural populations would lose out every single time. It would end up being an oppressive system for people who live in less populated areas and would tear up the U.S. even faster than is happening now.
I definitely think this sort of thing is a problem, but people misunderstand what I mean when I discuss direct democracy. Fundamentally, I'm a firm believer that governance should be radically decentralized compared to what it is today. America is a great example of a good idea gone completely off the tracks.
Localism
While the founders envisioned a decentralized structure in which core politically entities known as states would decide most issues, we're now stuck with a centralized imperial system in which virtually all major decisions are made in Washington D.C. by gangs of hopelessly corrupt and compromised politicians. But it's even worse than that. Power hasn't merely been concentrated in D.C., but it's also become increasing concentrated within the capital itself in the hands of a reckless imperial presidency.
For example, the separations of powers outlined in the Constitution when it comes to war has been all but obliterated. Congress is supposed to declare war, yet the U.S. military is involved in conflicts all over the planet, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, and Niger without any such declaration.
To illustrate how insane all of this is, read the following from a Vice article published last year:
We've somehow gone from Congress must declare war, to the White House will update Congress every six months on how all the undeclared wars are going. This is madness.The U.S. is officially fighting wars in seven countries, including Libya and Niger, according to an unclassified White House report sent to Congress this week and obtained by the New York Times.
Known officially as the "Report on the Legal and Policy Frameworks Guiding the United States' Military Force and Related National Security Operations," the document is part of a new requirement outlined in the 2018 defense spending bill. The White House is already required to update Congress every six months on where the U.S. is using military force.
The U.S. is currently drowning in an overly centralized and corrupt imperial government based in D.C. For direct democracy to truly function well, it should be based in local governance. I don't think it's a coincidence that the places currently using these tools most successfully, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, focus on localism.
Read more
Direct Democracy Is the Future of Human Governance – Part 1
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