http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/statehoodnow/

Amen FedUp. This has not been a Democracy from the beginning. From the beginning it was a feeding trough for specially formed special interests, fueled by corruption, oiled by the vast natural wealth of this continent, stolen from the Native People while the labor was provided by slaves.

Little has changed, the native people have successfully been reduced in numbers to little threat, even though the African descendants of the original slaves have at last won equality, the new slaves are the illegal immigrants who "take the jobs Americans won't do" for a wage that is below living ability, unless of course you live in a two bed room apartment, with eight other people.

This "Democracy" has never been anything but an Oligarchy, where a very small percentage of the population lives off the majority.

Yellow Horse

Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise than Christianity has made them good.

HL Mencken

It ceased being a democracy a looooong time ago.......
JaWhol!

Re: Fed Up

Who says we can't take it back? I am willing to die on my feet than live on my knees. How about you?

The author raises some good points, but I can't help but wonder: No mention of Instant Runoff Voting? No mention of ballot access reform that would stop the duopolist parties (usually Democrats) from using all kinds of dirty tricks to keep third-party and independent candidates off the ballot? And as for DC, this bill would give them one voting member of the House. That's representation?

The DC Statehood Greens do not support this bill and here's why (quoting from their website):

The Statehood Green Party has declined to support HR 328, and is instead calling on Congress to support statehood for the District of Columbia. Statehood Greens have noted that HR 328 falls short of providing real democracy and equality for DC residents, that it may backfire on Democrats, and that it may be found unconstitutional.
• DC statehood, unlike HR 328, would give DC residents real democracy, full rights, and equality with all other US citizens, and is fully constitutional. Real democracy means self-determination and self-governance. That's why the DC Statehood Green Party and many DC democracy advocates support DC statehood and do not endorse HR 328.
• HR 328 grants DC citizens a single voting seat in Congress. All other Americans enjoy three voting seats: one Representative and two Senators. Rather than granting equality, HR 328 makes DC residents "1/3 citizens" -- which some democracy advocates have called an insult to a city with a majority African American population. Statehood would give DC residents all three seats -- full voting rights -- in Congress.
• HR 328 may face a legal challenge, based on the US Constitution's provision of voting seats in Congress solely to states (Article 1, Section 2). A decision by the US District Court for DC in 2000 (Adams v. Clinton) held that "the Constitution does not contemplate that the District may serve as a state for purposes of the apportionment of congressional representatives." When the Supreme Court reviewed the ruling it offered no challenge. Supporters of HR 328 argue that Congress holds the power to grant DC a voting seat, but in Clarke v. US (DC Circuit, 1989) and Palmore v. US (1973), courts ruled that Congress's plenary authority over the District under Article 1, Section 8, Paragraph 17 may not "contravene any provisions of the Constitution." A report published on February 12 by the Congressional Research Service said: "Although not beyond question, it would appear likely that the Congress does not have authority to grant voting representation in the House of Representatives to the District." According to these opinions, only a constitutional amendment may allow DC one or more voting seats in Congress (i.e., unless DC were granted statehood).
• President Bush declared that he will veto HR 328 on constitutional grounds. The President and Congress should be challenged to support DC statehood. It's hypocritical to ask young men and women from DC who serve in the US Armed Forces to risk their lives allegedly to bring democracy to Iraq, when they don't enjoy democracy -- self-determination and self-government as well as full representation in Congress -- at home.
• Because HR 328, if passed, will gives Utah a new voting seat in the US House, it will also give Utah a new vote in the Electoral College, since the number of electors is tied to the number of Representatives. DC already has three (Democratic) electors and will not gain a new one. Republicans would gain an edge in close national elections.
• HR 328 contains a nonseverability clause, but a temporary injunction in the event of a lawsuit may allow Utah its new (Republican) voting seat while the DC vote would be blocked until a ruling is issued. The injunction would suspend Democratic rule in the US House.
• HR 328 will not bring democracy to DC, despite claims by DC Vote and other supporters of the bill. Representation in a legislature does not guarantee democracy. Throughout history, colonies enjoyed voting seats in the legislatures of nations that conquered them, but still suffered oppression. Even though many of the American colonists complained about "taxation without representation," our Founding Fathers and Mothers fought for independence and democracy, not "voting rights." Patrick Henry never said, "Give me a vote in Parliament or give me death."-
• HR 328 will not reduce the power of Congress to force unwanted laws and policies on DC and to veto locally passed legislation. It will not end DC's status as America's "last colony" and "last plantation."
• List of recent examples of Congress's power over DC; none of the following would be prevented by HR 328:
-- Congress overturned a ballot measure for medical marijuana ("Initiative 59") that had passed with a 69% majority in 1998.
-- Congress has imposed "zero tolerance" laws; imposed a charter school system; outlawed needle exchange in DC to prevent HIV transmission; prohibited DC from taxing commuters (a source of revenue for all other cities); demanded a new convention center to be paid for with a DC surtax for the profit of suburban businesses.
-- Congress (through the appointed Financial Control Board) ordered former Mayor Anthony Williams to dismantle DC General Hospital, the District's lone full-service public health facility.
-- In 1997, Newt Gingrich called DC a "laboratory" for Republican policies. Congress members have sought to overturn DC's gun control laws, enact the death penalty, impose a school voucher program, and deny benefits for same-sex couples.
• Statehood for DC could be achieved by Act of Congress (requiring a simple majority), without a constitutional amendment (requiring ratification by 2/3 of states). In 1846, an Act of Congress removed Arlington from DC and ceded it to Virginia, proving that Congress may alter the District's borders. Congress may therefore reduce the constitutionally mandated federal enclave to encompass only the federal properties (White House, Capitol, Mall, etc.), freeing the rest of DC to choose statehood by a plebescite vote. DC could then be admitted to the union as a state, as were all other states after the initial 13 colonies. DC would get two Senators and one Representative.
• What Congress giveth, Congress taketh away. If HR 328 passes, Congress will still have the power to abolish DC's lone voting seat, and may do so if Republicans regain control. In 1997, Congress and President Clinton canceled many of DC's "home rule" powers, under the DC Revitalization Act. With statehood, DC will never lose its voting seats or self-government.
• The DC Statehood Green Party and the Stand Up! for Democracy in DC Coalition have drafted a petition for DC statehood to be sent to the UN Committee on Human Rights and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which monitor compliance with treaties that the US has signed and ratified. In 2006, the Human Rights Committee found that DC's lack of voting representation in Congress violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The ruling was the result of a decade of work by democracy advocate Tim Cooper.
• In 2004, the Democratic Party deleted a plank supporting DC statehood from its national platform. The Republican Party does not support DC statehood. The Green Party of the United States (of which the DC Statehood Green Party is an affiliate) is the only national party that endorses DC statehood in its national platform. Green candidates across the US have declared their support for DC statehood.
If you're interested, you can sign the petition here:

Please do not go with "paper trails" that's a bogus way to do it as it doesn't prevent hacking of the vote totals. Support paper ballots. There are many reasons that Florida went with paper ballots the rest of the country would be wise to follow their lead. Don't let misinformation about "paper trails" prompt you to think that's a secure way to get your vote counted. It's not. Down with the HOLT 811. UP with paper ballots.

Imagine if George Bush had come along before the internet. How much closer to pure fascism might we be?

We should be talking about restoring freedom.

Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for lunch.

Freedom is one well armed sheep contesting the results.

I followed the link to "The National Popular Vote bill" that was in the article about about our dysfunctional Democracy. The link takes one to a map of the U.S. and you can click on your State to find out whats shakin in your State with this issue. In my State there are both Senate and House bills addressing the issue so I emailed Senator and Representative urging them to support the bills.
As I recall a certain Senator Clinton from the State of N.Y. was going to introduce legislation to correct the stupidity of the Electoral college but I guess she forgot.
More than one way to skin a cat.

Voting should be done with paper ballots. Then, they should be counted publicly at the precinct level. Ie, when voting at the precinct is done, the votes for that precinct are publicly counted. Anyone can attend and watch, record how the votes are counted.

Remember, the Nation (where this author is the editor) always supports Democrats. Democrats seem very unwilling to support anything that breaks their joint monopoly on power with the Republicans. So, thus no mention of Instant Runoff Voting.

Frankly, I thought the Green Party should have made this a condition in 2004. Ie, cut a deal with the dems that said "we won't run against Kerry, but only if you promise to support both Proportional Representation and Instant Runoff Voting." The deal has to be public, so at least the whole country knows it when the Democrats decide not to honor it after the election. If the Dems won't make that deal (a possibility given how nasty and arrogant they are ... mention Nader to a Dem to see an example), then they should have had their campaign aggressively sunk. Then you come back four years later and again ask for Democracy in exchange for not crippling their worthless corporate-toady candidate.

We need democracy in this country, but both parties seem committed to opposing that. For example, watch the way they react to the idea of a primary challenge from someone who isn't personally approved by the party big-wigs. Both parties move aggressively to quash any such primary races. The very notion that maybe the members of the party should choose the nominee instead of the party bosses sends shivers up their spines.

The crappy presidential primary schedule is the same thing. They can't roll back the clock to the days before primaries. So instead they rig the schedule such that only the candidates with the money and the support of the party bosses can win. When there are lots of primaries happening quickly, especially in big states, then only the candidate with the money to saturate the airwaves with garbage ads can win. The only other force in the election is the party machine. Since everything happens so fast, its wham-bam-thank you mam. No grassroots campaign can get organized and rolling. It quickly goes from the electorate not paying attention to the whole thing being over and done. And that doesn't even mention the 800 or so super delegates at the Dem convention ... entirely party politicians and bosses. If someone like Kucinich wants to win, he needs closer to 60% of the delegates from the primaries.

The whole thing is rigged, and the Democrats like it rigged just as much as the Republicans. They just want it rigged their way instead. Neither party favors democracy. You can see it from the way they game the system to block any 3rd parties and independents, and you can see if from the way they chose their own candidates.

We need more well armed sheep. And is there more than one way to skin a Hillary?

OFF TOPIC BUT A MUST SEE:
http://nationalinitiative.us/

The National Popular Vote sounds is a good idea. What we need to do is abolish the electoral college but this could be a first step in making it irrelevent. Democracy requires that the system be opened up to other political parties. It requires sweeping electoral reform that does away with the need for big money. It requires equal time for all candidates on the public airwaves. It requires real all inclusive debates, and it requires trackable ballots and an independent sytem to ensure the sanctity of the polls against fraud.

This country has never been a "democracy," even though we persist on calling it one. It would be far more accurate to call it a "representative democracy," or better yet, a REPUBLIC.

There is a new call from Americans, it has been said, that credit and debit cards must carry the words "In God We Trust" because these cards have replaced US currency in most people's pocketbooks.

We have a choice empire or democracy. You can't have both. Leaders of other countries are the problem of those countries. To interfere in any case except actual attack on our people is to support empire over democracy. This includes Palestine, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea and all the rest.

We are suffering from blowback for all our interventions other than true charity that helps people with no plan for our gain.

People will say we should remember the lesson of WW2. How about the lesson of the peace after WW1 where Germany was made desperate enough to accept Hitler? All through history blowback is underestimated.

amen, shakker

alternative word for blowback = negative karma

or, in newagespeak, what goes around comes around

when will we learn to start creating the good kind instead of the bad?

Political Democracy without Economic Democracy is an Dog and Pony Show...

What would an Economy which fascilitates and supports Democracy look like?

We can be sure that the one which currently exists aint it!

I'm sorry but I got off the train when a court said money was speech! I can't figure that one for the life of me.

I've got quite a number of ideas to make voting honest (for the first time). With an electronic (open source, of course) system, you would record the vote at least three (triple-blind) ways:

1) In an internal database that only the State officials see.
2) A local printer spool that only local election judges see. The votes are printed as they are made. The print spool is visible through a sealed window. If the voter sees a discrepancy with what's on the spool and the ticket (see below) in his hand, he immediately brings it to the attention of a local election administrator on site.
3) A "voter receipt" with a SHA or other encryption hash #, the date/time, the precinct number, and the vote record itself that the voter can take home with him/her.

On election night, the State releases the results -- but does not have access to #2. If the local judges find a discrepancy, someone is ARRESTED for tampering with government property and/or treason.

After the ballots are closed, the database is available online. Anyone may enter his/her SHA/encryption code and precinct # to double-check that his/her vote was properly tabulated.

If anyone's got additional thoughts, please comment here. Let's build a new democracy, even as this one is still crumbling.