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Politics : The Castle -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (128)	11/7/2002 3:10:57 PM
From: Neocon	Respond to of 7936

There are plenty of things built into the system all ready: the bicameral legislature, the threat of judicial review, the need to maintain coalitions which harbor differing points of view, the possibility of angering key constituency groups, the committee system, and so forth, to make sure that action is not rash. We do not need sheer obstructionism.

To: Lane3 who wrote (128)	11/7/2002 3:21:57 PM
From: MSI	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 7936

Better, IMO, to make it harder to do something in the first place. The secret to American success since 1776 ! By slowing down the process of legislation and executive action, deliberation is extended, sometimes agonizingly so, but it always increases the level of information in spite of occasional acrimony. If Washington DC were to shut down 10 months out of the year, we'd be more prosperous and better-run <g> The current disease of our country is too much GDP goes to government, acting like any bureaucracy to constantly increase it's rationale and demands until it becomes parasitic. The mainstream of both parties are pushing further towards an all-powerful central government, the Repubs are just better at it. Most Demo/Republican distinctions are ficticious ones that drown the real subject: parasitic government pretending to offer all kinds of good things in exchange for control and increased power, and if there's enough hubris, threatening with fear at home and abroad. Terrorism is real, but so were efforts to promote terrorism in the 1980s. It isn't just some small conspiracy of individuals, it's the way bureacracies work, to hide information and increase dependency. Read "Dependent on DC" by C. Twight, excellent read on the mechanics of how reasonable ideas evolve into huge parasitic public programs, promoted by self-interested government officials. The solution is full disclosure of all public dollars, programs and people on the web. Roll back restrictions on FOIA for presidential papers going back 20 years, publish all departments' already-electronic data, with the only exception of bona-fide military secrets, of which there are almost none. In the long run that will tend to bring criminal malfeasance to a halt, with everyone attempting CYA, knowing it will eventually be published on the web.

To: Lane3 who wrote (128)	11/7/2002 3:32:22 PM
From: The Philosopher	Respond to of 7936

Amen. So many government programs started out well intentioned, and as programs that fit a legitimate need. But once established, they develop built-in constituencies, both those who work in the programs and those who benefit from them. It's very hard to muster the political pressure to end them and very easy to muster the political pressure to continue them, so they continue long past any legitimate need or basis for their existence. Many of the farm support programs, for example (suger is an excellent example) only go to further enrich large corporations with large PAC budget, and have the dual disadvantages of costing tax dollars and raising prices. A double whammy on the taxpayer to benefit a few well connected companies. If the Republicans really want to have a slimmer, leaner, more efficient government, they now have the votes to close down many of these programs. Don't hold your breath.