tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140753599557753204.post6081356518987616418..comments2023-10-07T10:28:30.712-04:00Comments on Oooh, nuance!: Breaking Down the Big Tentmadamabhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13182478139356658751noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140753599557753204.post-56174881828268171612008-05-01T08:52:00.000-04:002008-05-01T08:52:00.000-04:00I love all these ideas that I'm hearing! I'm keepi...I love all these ideas that I'm hearing! I'm keeping this post up another day in hopes that more people will share their thoughts about moving our great experiment forward.<BR/><BR/>And yes, flying junior, I know for sure that many Republicans are not happy with Bush. His approval ratings are consistently going down within his own party. Plus, I've read a lot of anecdotes about how many are switching parties for this election. People are just fed up.madamabhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13182478139356658751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140753599557753204.post-55747107067489460702008-05-01T00:39:00.000-04:002008-05-01T00:39:00.000-04:00Great post!Your premise exposes the fact that alth...Great post!<BR/><BR/>Your premise exposes the fact that although ahead of its time in 1776, the American democratic 'experiment' could use some tweaking.<BR/><BR/>IMHO, sending more U.S. kids abroad between high school and college would open their eyes to see that most European countries have better models of democratic organization, having developed later and having been nearly destroyed and re-assembled by successive world wars, etc.<BR/><BR/>My solution for the U.S. is greater federalism - this means devolving more powers to states and letting them have more autonomy within a union, not within the identity or structure of a country exceeding 350 million people (territories included or not).<BR/><BR/>The U.S. system has too much unwieldiness to work any more, IMO. Break up the country into smaller units based upon true local democracy and accept the good and the bad of smaller but better, more accountable government.<BR/><BR/>Europe has already been down the same road the U.S. is suffering these days and is trend-setting with the regional 'devolutionary' movement.<BR/><BR/>Wait until it catches on in the states -- it's coming -- it will start as inter-state secessionism movements, i.e., N. Florida versus s. Florida and evolve into political structures playing catch up with popular realities.<BR/><BR/>My favorite is the fantasy where the northern U.S. blue states join Canada and the rest becomes "Jesusland'. Funny but true.Dr. Mark L. Woodshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14167134603306511743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140753599557753204.post-46826392724012707202008-04-30T23:17:00.000-04:002008-04-30T23:17:00.000-04:00I can't believe I referred to the new prime minist...I can't believe I referred to the new prime minister as a "he!" I'm so hopelessly chauvinist. But I am a classic case of an Obamaniac who switched to Hillary.Flying Juniorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02098313953658606206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140753599557753204.post-6078057616096732802008-04-30T23:13:00.000-04:002008-04-30T23:13:00.000-04:00It must feel wonderfully liberating living so clos...It must feel wonderfully liberating living so close to the John Lennon Memorial Garden in Central Park. "You may say..." Well, of course, you're not the only one. <BR/><BR/>It is a captivating idea that not all Republicans go along with the earth-scorching policies of the Bush/Satan administration. I wonder if there is any truth to it? Do you suggest that the two-party system worked at one time, but now has played out to its inevitable end game of horror; the despotism of party so eloquently predicted by General Washington in his farewell address?<BR/><BR/>You know, in these days of hard and fast gridlock, the idea of a coalition government does sound pretty good. That would probably mean that we would have a prime minister in place of our executive. He would naturally be elected by his fellow parliamentarians from the majority party. Time for a new constitutional convention. It has been over 220 years!<BR/><BR/>The craziest thing would be that politicians could vote their conscience and beliefs instead of doing what they are told.Flying Juniorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02098313953658606206noreply@blogger.com