[EM] language/framing quibble

Fred Gohlke fredgohlke at verizon.net
Tue Sep 9 06:06:06 PDT 2008


Good Afternoon, Steph

To be honest, I hadn't seen the matter from that perspective, but I like 
the thought.  Dominant parties can be seen as monopolies, and, as with 
all things monopolistic, they are unhealthy for the environment in which 
they exist.

Our task, then, must be to devise an electoral process that is not 
dominated by partisans while recognizing that it is natural for humans 
to take sides on issues.  Your suggestion does this in a simple, direct 
manner.

With the method you propose, partisans can and will advocate their views 
freely but they can not control the 'districts' they attempt to 
persuade.  If their advocacy is not compelling for the majority of the 
voters in a 'district' their view will not carry.

I hope others will come to recognize the elegance of your proposal.  It 
took me longer than it should have, since I read your paper several 
months ago.  I got caught up in the counting method and missed the essence.

Once the basic premise is accepted, we can turn our attention to the 
problem of selecting the best people to stand as candidates.

Fred



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