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Kristofer:<br><br><pre>MIKE OSSIPOFF wrote:<br><br>><i> If one is going to propose a method involving proxies, then Proxy DD is the biggest and most<br></i>><i> ambitious improvment. I described it in a posting when you asked about it. <br></i>><i> <br></i>><i> Though it's a much more ambitious thing to ask for, maybe people _would_ want a<br></i>><i> good proxy system such as Proxy DD. A good single-winner method should be used with it.<br></i><br>Excuse me for hijacking the thread, but I haven't been following up on <br>the development on proxy direct democracy. I assume this is the same <br>thing as "liquid democracy", i.e. that you have a direct democracy where <br>the voters can subscribe or give their voting power to proxies.<br><br>[endquote]<br><br>I haven't read those proposals, so I can't say if Proxy DD is the same.<br>Maybe. I haven't claimed to be the first to propose such a system. It would<br>be surprising if no one else had. I haven't plagiarized anyone. I've discussed<br>a form of DD. Such methods have been re-invented many times, over a long<br>period of time.<br><br>You continued:<br><br>What's the answer to the vote-buying objection to proxy democracy? This <br>goes something like: "we can easily offer some proxy <a href="http://lists.electorama.com/pipermail/election-methods-electorama.com/2011-November/029222.html#" style="text-decoration: underline;" id="_GPLITA_0" title="Powered by Text-Enhance">money</a> to vote for <br>X, because we'll simply subscribe to this proxy and see if he tells his <br>constituents to vote for X, and not give him any money if he doesn't". <br>That, if unaddressed, would weaken proxy democracy's counterbalance to <br>the power of money.<br><br>[endquote]<br><br>Of course. Any representative, proxy or delegate could (if crooked) be bought.<br><br>That's an inevitable consequence of representation.<br><br>It happens all the time here now. It's said that we have the best government<br>that money can buy.<br><br>The solution: Choose someone honest, as your proxy. That's a big difference from<br>ordinary representation. You, and you only, choose your proxy.<br><br>If you don't think anyone is honest, then don't use a proxy.<br><br>Mike Ossipoff<br><br></pre><br> </div></body>
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