CV&D position? (was Re: Parliamentary vs Presidential)

[Mike Ossipoff]

CVD started a "factsheet project" in '93. This project wasn't announced
in advance to CVD members, of which I was one at that time. By the
time the project was announced in the CVD newsletter, people had already
been appointed to write the various factsheets. Steve Hill was appointed
to write the single-winner factsheet. Hill was an advocate of MPV
(Instant Runoff), and stated in his factsheet that MPV avoids the
LO2E problem, and used the word "best" in reference to MPV, it seems
to me. Apparently the members of CVD weren't intended to
be given a chance to volunteer to write factsheets, and the appointments
were a sort of back-room thing, among the leadership of CVD.

For a long time I kept asking for a copy of the factsheet, but
was always told that it wasn't printed, & that the factheet project
was getting a slow start. I finally gave up. The only indication of
CVD policy on sw methods that I've ever had acess to has been the
newsletters & promotional literature, and these things, at least
during the time that I was receiving them, never mentioned any
method other than MPV. 

CVD literature has occasionally mentioned the Presidency & their
proposal has been MPV. CVD has explicitly distanced itself from
Parliamentary govt in some of their literature. But, as you said,
their interest is PR, not sw reform. And so the problem is that
CVD's sw proposals are from people who, by their own statement,
aren't really interested in sw reform, and aren't willing to take
time to deal with it. I've noticed that pretty much all MPV
advocates are people who say that they don't consider sw reform
important.

Right, the Presidential election isn't important? The President
is a whole branch of govt unto himself, & the Presidency's 
considerable power has been increasing. TV tends to cover the
Presidential election to the exclusion of other races because
people consider the Presidency & the Presidential election
to be very important, as political things go.

***

It seems desirable, if Richie is no longer subscribed to ER,
to e-mail a copy of EM's sw report to Richie. 

And also to other people who are in CVD's decisionmaking circle,
and have e-mail but aren't on ER.

When sending a copy to Richie, let's ask him to distribute it to
the CVD board. And/or ask Richie or CVD's secretary (who used to
be Howard Fain, & may still be) for e-mail & postal addresses
of the CVD board-members.

***

Mike


 


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