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The law making process is so clearly broken. I see this as a contributing factor to the long gradual decline of the role of the USA in the world. The reemergenc

The law making process is so clearly broken. I see this as a contributing factor to the long gradual decline of the role of the USA in the world. The reemergence of China should be engendering a positive spirit of lifting the game, not a money grabbing exercise. If you can’t make evidence based laws for the people then society will be warped into some dysfunctional dystopian end game.

mbaha 9y ago
Following your logic, China is better off because instead of having one party protesting but failing to reject a law promoted by the elections-winning other party, it's just better to have one single party control everything. Sorry but I find this just mindblowing.
- Alacart 9y ago
  The parent comment is saying that the economic success of China should be encouraging America to step it's game up, not that it should become a single party system.
  - mbaha 9y ago
    I'd argue that berating economic success as the main metric for measuring a country's success is precisely what is slowly but surely eroding the West's precious institutions. Since when people just want to live comfortable lives and leave their collective fate to be decided by a minority whose interests do not necessarily align with the people's interests (otherwise, they would just allow fair elections). Small example: of course, country-wide surveillance à la China would lead to "economic success", do you think it's criticized because it would lead to mass poverty ? It would lead to a perfectly stable future for the population, with ever improving quality of life and security. The problem, as you may guess, lies elsewhere.
- beisner 9y ago
  I’d be the first to say there are a bunch of serious problems posed by the one-party system in China, but getting important projects done quickly is not one of them.
- spuz 9y ago
  The person you replied to does not say that China's political system is better in any way, simply that if such a system (single party authoritarian government) can out develop the US then there must be some serious improvements to be had for the US's democratic system. In other words, if China can give their people what they want without fair elections or due process or freedom from corruption then our democratic system which ostensibly includes those things must be seriously broken. That does not mean authoritarianism is better. At least that's how I read the comment.
  - mbaha 9y ago
    I have to admit I slightly misread the parent comment, but still: as long it's not a democracy, how can you consider that China "can give their people what they want". The "they" cannot be referring the people of China, or the majority because China is just not a democracy. This is the main difference between a country which holds free elections every 4 years, and a single-party country.
    - nojvek 9y ago
      Chinese middle class is booming. US is going through the opposite.
TAForObvReasons 9y ago
To a large extent, the broken parts of US politics stem from the lack of actual written rules. Many things that should be codified are actually "gentlemen's agreements", where people agree to act in good faith. Today's show on the Senate floor was the logical conclusion of an entire political party deciding to break every aspect of that unstated agreement,
- riffraff 9y ago
  AFAICT, this is the same in most of the world, a lot of the political and government process is based on people acting "properly" beyond the minimal requirements of the law. There is often a difference between "legal" and "moral", so to say.
- briandear 9y ago
  Oh right and Obamacare didn’t do the exact same thing? What goes around..
  - anigbrowl 9y ago
    Please stop repeating that obvious canard. It's insulting to your fellow HNers to repeat known counterfactual claims.
- delta-v 9y ago
  US politics is broken because the majority is being under represented both in Congress and in presidential election. We should work together on getting rid of the ancient and manipulated election system and revamp it with a modern proportional representative system.

mbaha 9y ago

Following your logic, China is better off because instead of having one party protesting but failing to reject a law promoted by the elections-winning other party, it's just better to have one single party control everything. Sorry but I find this just mindblowing.

Alacart 9y ago
The parent comment is saying that the economic success of China should be encouraging America to step it's game up, not that it should become a single party system.
- mbaha 9y ago
  I'd argue that berating economic success as the main metric for measuring a country's success is precisely what is slowly but surely eroding the West's precious institutions. Since when people just want to live comfortable lives and leave their collective fate to be decided by a minority whose interests do not necessarily align with the people's interests (otherwise, they would just allow fair elections). Small example: of course, country-wide surveillance à la China would lead to "economic success", do you think it's criticized because it would lead to mass poverty ? It would lead to a perfectly stable future for the population, with ever improving quality of life and security. The problem, as you may guess, lies elsewhere.
beisner 9y ago
I’d be the first to say there are a bunch of serious problems posed by the one-party system in China, but getting important projects done quickly is not one of them.
spuz 9y ago
The person you replied to does not say that China's political system is better in any way, simply that if such a system (single party authoritarian government) can out develop the US then there must be some serious improvements to be had for the US's democratic system. In other words, if China can give their people what they want without fair elections or due process or freedom from corruption then our democratic system which ostensibly includes those things must be seriously broken. That does not mean authoritarianism is better. At least that's how I read the comment.
- mbaha 9y ago
  I have to admit I slightly misread the parent comment, but still: as long it's not a democracy, how can you consider that China "can give their people what they want". The "they" cannot be referring the people of China, or the majority because China is just not a democracy. This is the main difference between a country which holds free elections every 4 years, and a single-party country.
  - nojvek 9y ago
    Chinese middle class is booming. US is going through the opposite.

TAForObvReasons 9y ago

To a large extent, the broken parts of US politics stem from the lack of actual written rules. Many things that should be codified are actually "gentlemen's agreements", where people agree to act in good faith. Today's show on the Senate floor was the logical conclusion of an entire political party deciding to break every aspect of that unstated agreement,

riffraff 9y ago
AFAICT, this is the same in most of the world, a lot of the political and government process is based on people acting "properly" beyond the minimal requirements of the law. There is often a difference between "legal" and "moral", so to say.
briandear 9y ago
Oh right and Obamacare didn’t do the exact same thing? What goes around..
- anigbrowl 9y ago
  Please stop repeating that obvious canard. It's insulting to your fellow HNers to repeat known counterfactual claims.
delta-v 9y ago
US politics is broken because the majority is being under represented both in Congress and in presidential election. We should work together on getting rid of the ancient and manipulated election system and revamp it with a modern proportional representative system.