[EM] Proxy - bicameral

[bql at bolson.org]

On Mon, 17 May 2004, Dr. Ernie Prabhakar wrote:

> My concern is to ensure that the process is friendly to multiple-choice
> options.  My fear is that the traditional yes/no vote could easily be
> used to hold the assembly 'hostage', by only giving them a choice
> between the lesser of two evils.   At the very least, we should make
> sure we don't encode anything to prevent it.
>
> Is the current focus on yes/no voting embodied in the Constituation
> (perhaps in the way it defines vetoes and decisions), or is it really
> an artifact of Robert's Rules?

And if you count on the senate/parliament to set up mutually exclusive
options for a multiple choice vote, they could abuse that and make
exclusive things you might want both or more of. No system is so perfect
it doesn't require the members to be Good.

> > It's also possible that members of parliament would themselves be
> > powerful
> > proxies, unless that was specifically forbidden by law.
>
> Ooh, very interesting point.    Hmm, I wonder if that's a good or bad
> thing...

I think dual-membership should be forbidden. Members of the
senate/parliament should be disenfranchised from the proxy-assembly vote.
This special case disenfranchisement of 100 ouf of 3e8 doesn't trouble me,
given the powerful vote they have in their legislative body.

Brian Olson
http://bolson.org/