[Election-Methods] Partisan Politics + a method proposal

[Fred Gohlke]

Good Morning, Juho

Again, I must apologize for taking so long to respond.  I assure you, it 
is not from lack of interest.

re: "I just pointed out that it does not guarantee full proportional 
representation."

This point seems to center on what one considers proportional.  You 
appear to believe minorities should have representation in proportion to 
their size.

I believe that, when the entire electorate participates in the electoral 
process, minorities are represented in proportion to their size.  If 18% 
of the electorate holds a minority opinion and 100% of the electorate 
participates in the electoral process, precisely 18% of the electorate 
represents the minority view.

Furthermore, it is vital to recognize that, as to any individual (and, 
hence, as to any collection of individuals), a minority condition ... 
whether an opinion, a fact of their life, or their race, creed or 
religion ... is a small part of the total person. No matter what one's 
minority condition, the need for food, clothing and shelter dominates 
our existence.  Compared to that need, the gravity of a minority 
condition pales.  It is wrong to magnify the significance of such a 
condition and equate it to the totality of the person.  Whether one is a 
communist or an atheist or a caucasian is of much less importance than 
the fact that one is a human being.

I understand that you believe the mechanism I described will operate to 
the detriment of minorities while I believe it gives them a greater 
advantage than they have in a partisan political structure.  In my view, 
the method replaces emotion with reason.  As a result, minorities with a 
rational basis for their goals will achieve them more easily.  Partisan 
politics is based on confrontation and rests, ultimately, on violence. 
We should avoid it.

Democracy is a majority rule concept.  Those who would change society 
and its government must persuade the majority of the people to accept 
their views.  Anything less than that is oligarchical in structure and 
offensive to reason.


re: "The vote counting of the new proposed method used (conventional) 
summing of the votes.  I was expecting something more radical from you ..."

Alas, I failed you.  Ohhh, my!  How utterly human of me.

Actually, I was just trying to insert some thoughts I'd picked up on 
this board.  I wanted to put something there so others could change it. 
  I was attempting to be clay ... to be molded by the thoughtful minds 
on this site into a viable electoral method.

I'm a bit disillusioned.  I was unable to express my intent with 
sufficient clarity and the concept does not appear to be working. It's a 
shame.  It might have been fun.

Fred