[EM] Sociological issues of elections

[Fred Gohlke]

Good Morning, Mike

I've spent some time with your comparative design table.  You've 
undertaken a massive task.  I don't feel competent to comment except to 
say that, if your work reveals common threads which can someday be 
unified to form a solid ground-up structure, it will be rewarding.

re: "A modern democracy cannot stand without a legitimizing
      public.  The only reason it continues to stand (in this
      view) is because the parties are propping it up by acting
      as surrogates for the public and we (mostly) pretend not
      to notice."

Although I would state it differently, this is essentially true.  The 
parties have arrogated to themselves the right to act as surrogates for 
the public and we pretend not to notice because we don't know how to 
retrieve our right to govern ourselves.

Fred Gohlke