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>>Consolidated money is power. The only way that capitalism can work long term is if there are rules actively countering/fighting using that power to change the

>>Consolidated money is power. The only way that capitalism can work long term is if there are rules actively countering/fighting using that power to change the rules. Yes. This is why I'm in favor of term limits, as well as a rule that outlaws "revolving doors"[1]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolving_door_(politics) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolving_door_(politics)

shkkmo 9y ago
This is why I favor making our representatives an actual representative population using random selection. Our current selection process overwhelmingly favors white male lawyers who are good at talking corporations into giving them money for their election campaigns.
anigbrowl 9y ago
That sounds nice, but why don't proponents of term limits ever offer evidence for their claim? We already have term limits in California. The result? Politicians spend a lot of their time in office figuring out how to leapfrog up the political ladder - usually city/county school board, to supervisor, to state assembly, to state senate, to Congress. They are never in one place long enough to build stable networks of influence (superficially a good thing) but that just means they're easier for lobbyists to manipulate (definitely a bad thing). I have an open mind on term limits, but since they exist in multiple jurisdictions why don't you show, with data, that they are leading to qualitatively different outcomes where they have been implemented?
- no-s 9y ago
  Sad but true. In California the legislature is just a tool for the bureaucratic state to pander To itself. Legislators who fulfill the wishes of the state bureaucracy get favorable treatment on the career ladder. I often suggest we should have term limits on laws, not politicians. An absolute sunset on every law and regulation with up/down votes only, no debate, will do a lot to show whether elected public servants are on the job and who they are working for.
- komali2 9y ago
  >easier for lobbyists Elsewhere in this thread, the concept of lobbying is being questioned as well. Find a way to prevent this and that removes a huge chunk of the problem, in my mind. Not that I can figure out how to prevent it. Stopping corporate donations to political campaigns would be another thing.
neil_s 9y ago
@shhkmo, are you proposing choosing random people off the street to be our elected officials for short terms? That is such an interesting idea!
- enraged_camel 9y ago
  Right? It would be like jury duty, but with a salary and amazing benefits! Brilliant!

shkkmo 9y ago

This is why I favor making our representatives an actual representative population using random selection. Our current selection process overwhelmingly favors white male lawyers who are good at talking corporations into giving them money for their election campaigns.

anigbrowl 9y ago

That sounds nice, but why don't proponents of term limits ever offer evidence for their claim? We already have term limits in California. The result? Politicians spend a lot of their time in office figuring out how to leapfrog up the political ladder - usually city/county school board, to supervisor, to state assembly, to state senate, to Congress. They are never in one place long enough to build stable networks of influence (superficially a good thing) but that just means they're easier for lobbyists to manipulate (definitely a bad thing). I have an open mind on term limits, but since they exist in multiple jurisdictions why don't you show, with data, that they are leading to qualitatively different outcomes where they have been implemented?

no-s 9y ago
Sad but true. In California the legislature is just a tool for the bureaucratic state to pander To itself. Legislators who fulfill the wishes of the state bureaucracy get favorable treatment on the career ladder. I often suggest we should have term limits on laws, not politicians. An absolute sunset on every law and regulation with up/down votes only, no debate, will do a lot to show whether elected public servants are on the job and who they are working for.
komali2 9y ago
>easier for lobbyists Elsewhere in this thread, the concept of lobbying is being questioned as well. Find a way to prevent this and that removes a huge chunk of the problem, in my mind. Not that I can figure out how to prevent it. Stopping corporate donations to political campaigns would be another thing.

neil_s 9y ago

@shhkmo, are you proposing choosing random people off the street to be our elected officials for short terms? That is such an interesting idea!

enraged_camel 9y ago
Right? It would be like jury duty, but with a salary and amazing benefits! Brilliant!