4 ms·
Its all very well getting hot under the collar about the influence peddling of a charmed circle, but I have yet to see a plausible alternative organisation. Eve
by paulajohnson 10y ago
Its all very well getting hot under the collar about the influence peddling of a charmed circle, but I have yet to see a plausible alternative organisation. Every system of government comes down to Dunbar's Number (the size of a group who can reasonably expect to know each other), and the unavoidable fact that people in charge of allocating resources will tend to allocate as much as they can to themselves. Attempts to disrupt this, such as sunshine laws and term limits, also have a tendency to disrupt effective governance as well, because people who can't negotiate a compromise in secret become hostage to various special interest groups who will reject any move towards compromise. If nobody can compromise then nothing gets done.
- nerdponx 10y agoTo tack onto this, this same "everybody knows each other behind closed doors" is actually applauded in the U.S. Senate. Collegiality leads to measured politics and compromise, i.e. getting shit done.
- jokermatt999 10y agoWhile it is "just how things work" (both meanings intended), it goes against a core ideal for the United States. I'm not sure if "class mobility" is quite the term I'm looking for, but basically the idea that the common everyman could be elected and have a say in running the country. While the founding fathers were understandably wary of direct democracy, the average citizen still has somewhat of a say with their vote. Seeing that these important decisions are made by elites, behind the scenes, before the election even happened (!) is a major blow towards that ideal. I won't pretend to have a better solution, however, so I mostly agree with your post.