Abstention – the large fraction of citizens whose indifference, infirmity or indecision has left them without any voice whatsoever, even though the fraction of abstentions is generally larger than the simple majority won between the remaining voters who did cast a vote.
Bill of Rights – a formal declaration of rights of citizens that may or may not be entrenched with constitutionality
Concentration of Power – this flows directly from the concentration of wealth
Concentration of Wealth – the result of the market system not achieving a Pareto efficient allocation of resources because of preconditions for that system to work can never be fully met, specifically fully informed agents (buyers) and equal access to production market (sellers), neither of which can be met, and causes wealth to concentrate, and resources to be allocated inefficiently
Constitution – a set of fundamental principles, policies and procedures that constitute the entity, or nation
Constitutional Democracy – a democracy ruled by the people in a constitutional framework. modification of the constitution, in most cases, requires a supermajority of representatives
Democracy – literally means rule by the people, but has become interchangeable with representative democracy, but still significantly different from it in reality.
direct democracy – this term was invented because the term democracy had already become conflated with “representative democracy” and so this qualification of “direct“ness being added to democracy shows that it is actually rule by the people, for real. The fact that a new additional prefix term had to be added to the term democracy that already means rule by the people, shows how entrenched is the fact of representational democracy as being “normal” democracy.
Double Majority – 66% of any qualified voters on an issue; a 2:1 majority
Election – a handy tool for the powerful and wealthy elite to stifle democracy by encouraging the public to vote for people to represent their interests, rather than voting on the issues themselves.
Initiative – any issue raised and voted on by the public or representatives to become a law
Liberal Democracy – a form of government by representative democracy, comprised of competitive elections of people, and separation of powers into branches of government, usually a tri-partite system as described by Baron de Montesquieu where a separation of powers exists between a legislature, an executive, and a judiciary.
Minority – this is what keeps winning elections, keeps passing bogus legislation to which we all must adhere, and keeps wealth and power concentrated in the hands of the few, dressed up as a “simple majority”
Monarchy – a form of government in which sovereignty is vested in one individual; a dictatorship by bloodline, by divine right, unless it is tempered within a constitutional framework and the parliamentary process is accessible, at least, by representatives.
Multi-point Biometric Voter ID – term for tying voter identification to their own singular biometrics, like eye scan, fingerprint or facial recognition, which ideally would be encrypted and anonymous
Representative – every single politician to ever hold office, stands guilty of this charge of “representation” which ought to become labelled as the slur that it is, considering how poorly representatives actually represent the people they claim to
Republic – this is a form of government in which the power is said to reside in the people, although again as with the similar term, representative democracy, the power is vested in representatives, not actually the people themselves. over half of the world’s current 206 sovereign states identify themselves as a republic.
Proposal - a term often interchangeable with initiative, relating to ballots and what ought to be put on them, for the public or representatives to vote on
Quorum – the minimum stated requirement of number of voters necessary to be present in order to hold a vote on any initiative
Simple Majority – anything over 50% of the qualified voters on an issue
Supermajority – anything significantly higher than 50% majority of qualified voters on an issue.
Tyranny – this is the current form of government, dressed up as a democracy, but not truly democratic because representation is an invalid statistical sampling of the public, because representatives are open to exploitation by moneyed interests and their own self interest, which for most politicians, supersedes their fiduciary responsibilities
Wealth – the thing that keeps concentrating in the hands of the few (the bottom 80% of the population own merely 7% of the wealth) because the market system cannot properly achieve a Pareto efficient allocation of resources, because all agents in the system aren’t ever fully informed buyers, and all agents in the system never have equal access to the production market. this concentration of wealth also stifles competition and keeps prices high, above their natural price
WikInitiave Database – a conceived Marketplace of Initiatives where every citizen has free, easy, electronic access to all ballot initiatives, using a Reddit-style vote up system, where when any initiative passes a supermajority, it becomes law. with a database such as this, all initiatives can be measured in real time for their public support, abstentions count as “no” (to err on the side of liberty) and people can even change their vote on any issue at any time.
Veto – a method of blocking legislation either by president, by minority or supermajority vote
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]]>Direct democracy is a term coined to reign the term democracy back in on itself, by qualifying it as “direct” democracy, which means rule directly by the people, voting on every issue themselves. Democracy literally means “rule by the people” but because of logistical hurdles, democracy wasn’t possible until the recent digital revolution made it so. And so democracy though history, became synonymous with representative democracy. So with new technological advancements, a move to actually poll people on specific issues by plebiscite or referendum became possible and since democracy was already applied to the current system as a label, it was further clarified as “direct” democracy when actually polling the entire populace on an issue. In fact, direct democracy is the only true form of democracy.
What is a plebiscitary?
A plebiscitary is a place where plebiscites, votes on issues by the entire populace, are discussed.
What is a Simple Majority?
A Simple Majority is 51% of the total voting on any issue, whether it be of the total populace in a plebiscite or 51% of the seats in the House of Representatives. Simple Majorities are all that is necessary to impose legislation, and since abstaining voters are totally disregarded, the Simple Majority is merely a pretension, disguising a Simple Majority only of the fraction of people who were moved enough to vote in a system that doesn’t reflect their will already. In the United States, this often leads to 51% of the 60% of the total that voted, deciding issues. And 51% of 60% is down to 30% of the total now. 30% minority, imposing their will on the other 30% that voted, and the 40% that didn’t even bother to vote, knowing they won’t be represented anyway. Simple Majorities, while disregarding Abstentions, are truly just Minority Rule, and easily exploited by moneyed interests.
What is a Supermajority and why is it better than Simple Majorities?
A Supermajority is basically, something significantly higher than a Simple Majority. Commonly used Supermajority in the Senate and in some Corporate protocols is the double majority or 66% rather than 51%. 2 out of every 3 people must agree, or the measure does not pass. A Supermajority is a sober majority.
Why is direct democracy better than representational government?
Representational governing has outlived its usefulness. What was a necessity during the days of horse and buggy, no electricity, and very weak communication, has now become redundant in this digital age of mass communication, where everyone can finally have their say directly, and not rely on representatives to try and infer what it is they want. Representatives are prone to too many exploitations that the general public voting on the same issues would not be. It is much easier for wealthy interests to manipulate some few hundred congressman to create restrictive legislation they want imposed, than it is for them to manipulate 200 million people to agree to that same legislation. Additionally, all representatives have a conflict when their own self interest is at cross purposes with those they are elected to represent, and most people put in that position, will act on their own self interest first, as most every politician does. Because representatives cannot truly represent our best interests, we ought to represent them directly, ourselves. And, representatives, some several hundred in the House of Representatives, could never be expected to statistically reflect what 300 million people want, no matter how many committees they form to discuss it. Representation is open to exploitation by moneyed interests, exploitation by self interests, and representation is such a poor statistical sampling that no conclusions could ever be drawn, scientifically from them. Finally, representation also fails at its intended purpose because abstentions not being counted and party systems reduce the Simple Majorities they do win, effectively to Minorities of 30% creating legislation for the rest of us to follow.
Why should abstentions count as “No” on every issue?
When you don’t vote, it doesn’t mean you don’t have an opinion. If there was a proposal to pass any new law that is to be imposed on every single person, people who don’t want that law, shouldn’t have to rally their troops and invest their time, to stop ever piece of bad legislation they don’t support. It’s not efficient and it doesn’t err on the side of liberty. By counting all abstentions from votes on any particular issue as “no” the entire populace is once again brought back under the umbrella of self determination, by doing nothing! By the default position on every issue being “no” unless you are motivated to vote yes on it, no laws will ever be imposed by a minority on both the active and indifferent public. True democracy takes everyone into account, and no laws should be passed that aren’t supported by a Supermajority of the total populace, to always err on the side of liberty, and never on the side of minority rule.
How can the ballot initiative system be improved to attain easy and equal access for all?
The ballot system can be revolutionized using current technology, granting easy access from the comfort of your own home, to a WikInitiatve Database of Ballot Issues that anyone can log into at any time and vote yes on issues they feel are important, even change their vote at any time as they gather new information, while the real time reporting of the instantaneous public support for that issue is maintained. All initiatives would always remain on the table, and only those that rise to a Supermajority (at least a double majority) would become law.
What about voter fraud and voter access to polls?
Voter fraud is exploited because it uses a poor identification system. This can be ameliorated using simple technology available on smart phones, for a multi-point biometric anonymously encrypted identification system. Using non-invasive biometrics, like fingerprints, eye scans or facial recognition to singularly identify you using a cellphone. With a simple easy online database of ballot initiatives that people can access anywhere, anytime they want, equal opportunity in the process of governing can finally be installed.
Why is the party system actually a minority system?
In that last presidential election, 51% of the 60% of people that actually voted, determined who became president. This half of the 60% that voted, this 30% is always a minority rule, in a two party system that splits the voting near half, as consistently occurs in politics. In Canada, the situation is even more stark, with their three major party system, wherein the last federal election, Stephen Harper’s government was voted in with 35% of the 60% that voted, granting legislation powers to an effective 18% of the represented public, creating laws for the other 80+% to follow.
What could we have avoided historically, by deferring to Supermajority by Plebiscitary?
Public records exist of public opinion polls on every major issue that government has faced, for at least a century. Three wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf war, could all have been avoided, saving over a trillion dollars and 2.5 million lives on both sides of the battles. None of these three wars had double majority support by the populace when they were initiated. Other legislation that would never have met a Supermajority support level include laws created prohibiting marijuana, votes cutting corporate, capital gains and high income, votes raising middle and low income taxes and laws against abortion.
What laws would still be in place because of a Supermajority?
Obvious, natural supermajority consensus laws would continue to exist, such as laws against murder, rape, assault and theft, because more than a Supermajority have always agreed there should be laws against such acts. Interestingly enough, in Canada, healthcare administered publicly would still be in effect, with a current 85% of the population supporting it.
How can the general populace be convinced out of apathy to support a move to direct democracy by Supermajority?
The general populace will be more inclined to participate in a system where their voice is actually counted, every time, even if they say nothing (by counting Abstentions as “no”).
What four things need to be done to effect real democracy for the first time in history?
1. Transition from Representational Government to Direct Democracy Plebiscitary.
2. Transition from Simple Majority rule to Supermajority rule.
3. Reform the ballot initiative system so that all people can easily access and participate in their own government democratically.
4. Transition from disregarding Abstentions, to counting them as a No vote.
How can the bottom 80% of the populace who somehow only own 7% of the total wealth of the United States, recoup their fair share that Wealth has been siphoning off for centuries?
By voting directly on the levels of taxation already in place for corporate, capital gains, income and sales taxes, the Supermajority can decide how the wealth generated by the entire society ought to be divided. This does not mean robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, this means taking back what was generated by the 80% and concentrated in the hands of some few. The market system is more inclined to work efficiently and competitively when wealth does not concentrate. People can vote higher corporate and wealth taxes, and lower middle and low income taxes, even eliminate them, and take back what they themselves generated and was usurped by concentration of wealth, and reverse the trend of the past 60 years of corporate, capital gains and high income tax rates plummeting, while middle and low income tax rates haven’t lowered at all.
Can voters really vote on corporate, income, capital gains, sales, and wealth tax rates?
When legislation is passed by government whether its representational government or direct democracy, that legislation becomes law. And it remains an enforceable law unless it is challenged in court, the usual check on the balance of legislative power. We already tax these things, at varying rates over time. There’s no reason that the general populace cannot decide when and if to incrementally raise or lower taxes on any group, as they see fit, by Supermajority Plebiscitary.
What about the feared “tyranny of the majority”?
The tyranny of the majority is best stated by Thomas Jefferson himself:
“A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” Thomas Jefferson
This led to the drafting of the Amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, inalienable rights that no legislation can infringe upon, so that no majority could impose its will on a minority, legally. The Constitutional framework provides a final test which all laws must be measured against, in order to protect everyone. So the only real tyranny is rule by Simple Majority, which when abstentions are disregarded, becomes not even a Simple Majority, but a minority only.
Who can be expected to support a true Liberty party whose intent would be to immediately install direct democracy by supermajority plebiscitary?
Any person or group that feels disenfranchised by the current political system can be expected to support a system that finally and accurately grants them representation directly in the entire political process. Labour unions, working poor, Occupy movement, all these and more can be drawn upon to put the power of the government finally and absolutely in the hands of the people themselves.
Is this some form of socialism?
Direct democracy by Supermajority Plebiscitary has no parallels to socialism. Socialism as conceived by Karl Marx, is about wresting control of the means of production (corporations) and handing that ownership directly to the people, while legislative power still remains in the hands of some few. All modern democracies aren’t truly democratic, if they use representatives at all. All modern democracies aren’t truly democratic, if they don’t use Supermajorites instead of Simple Majorities. Socialism and communism stifle innovation and maintain legislative power and wealth in the hands of a few. Direct Democracy by Supermajority Plebiscitary is the only conceived type of government from ancient Greece until modern times which is a true democracy, responsive, adaptive and sober.
There are four main thrusts in the mission of the Plebiscitary, in order to effect more equality and access to governing than ever before possible. Each of these is a step in the right direction, but without all four protocols fulfilled, liberty and true democracy can never be realized.
The first protocol is to encourage transitioning from representational government to direct democracy by plebiscite, at all levels of government, which will eliminate special interest control of the political process, and far better reflect the will of the people, than can any small group of representatives of them.
The second protocol necessary for a renaissance of liberty, is to leave behind simple 50+1% majorities as deciding factors on legislation, forever, and move the bar higher, to a supermajority, at least a double majority (66%), to create laws to which we all must adhere.
The third mandatory protocol for ensuring the will of the public is truly reflected in the political process, is that access to the ballot process for voted initiatives should be made simple and readily accessible to all from their digital devices using a popularity based system for initiatives that must rise to supermajority status in order to become law. This combines the initiative and voting process, efficiently, giving access to all and affords society the ability to draw from the vast resources in human potential of the entire populace, for solving our common problems and reaching our common and individual goals.
The fourth protocol is also equally important, whereby a reform in how votes for a particular issue are counted – Abstentions must always count as No on any particular issue, so that the default position of all voters, is to not pass legislation unless they specifically mobilize their efforts to support it. The opposite situation holds true now, where people must mobilize their efforts to stop bad legislation installed by minorities, because abstentions are removed from the equation altogether.
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