"THESE ARE THE TIMES THAT TRY MEN"S SOULS"...AGAIN... TIME FOR PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY?
We as Americans all remember being taught when we were young about our nation's founders, the patriots who stood up to the tyranny of the crown of England, the drafters of the declaration of independence, the constitution, and the bill of rights, the documents that became the framework for a system of governance that they believed would maintain a balance of power within a truly representative government, that would preserve the basic rights and liberties of the people, let their voice be heard, and provide to them a government, as Lincoln later put it, "of the people, by the people, and for the people."
What we may not be so quick to recall, however, is that there was much debate between the founding fathers as to what model our system of government should follow. Those such as Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Patrick Henry on one side favored a pure and direct democracy with the legislative power vested in the very hands of the people, while others such as James Madison, John Adams and George Washington held that a representative democracy would better serve the people than a true democracy because they believed it would protect the individual liberties of the minority from the will of the majority. Alexander Hamilton even went so far as to support the creation of a monarchy. In the end, those favoring representative democracy won the day and that is the system they put in place in the hopes of creating a "more perfect union."
Now we must ask ourselves, what would the founding fathers think if they were resurrected today to see what has become of their vision? One can only assume that they would begin to search for modern day patriots to meet them once again at the liberty tree in order to plan a new struggle for freedom and self governance. Although we continue to praise and honor those who founded our nation and sought to create a truly just form of government for it, do we really stop to reflect on whether we as a nation have in fact succeeded in preserving what they fought so hard to create?
Today, in contrast to our revolutionary ancestors, we as citizens of the United States generally observe politics from afar and the vast majority of us may participate in the political process only to the extent that we go to the polls once a year to vote. Over the decades and centuries we have allowed the erosion of the ideals of the founding fathers and the corruption of the principles which they enshrined in those so carefully conceived documents. We have been left with essentially no real power to influence our "democratically" elected officials. We may write an occasional letter to our senator or representative that generates a form letter in response and a statistical data entry that may or may not be weighed against the influence of some powerful corporate lobby. We may be permitted to participate in a march or demonstration of thousands or even millions, something our patriots of old would have marvelled at, only to be dismissed as a 'focus group' with no bearing on policy decisions.
How then is the government held accountable to the voice of the people? Are the people meant to speak only at the polls when given a choice between a select few candidates that may be equally corrupt? No, as Jefferson and his allies rightly believed, the people should be heard much more than that.
In spite of their good intentions, the system of representative democracy that the founding fathers opted for has been systematically undermined and has ultimately failed in preserving the well being of the people of this nation. Most of us accept this reality as being beyond our control and continue to observe, comment, and complain without aspiring to achieving any real change. Our local leaders and activists in our communities, and even those local elected officials who may have the best of intentions are for the most part powerless to make real positive change happen in our neighborhoods, towns and villages when there is so much corruption from above.
We have become so accustomed to this failed system of representative democracy that it may not occur to us that there are other alternative forms of democracy. In various places around the world participatory or direct democracy has been instituted both in concert with representative democracy, and as a replacement for it. It is a form of democracy that is designed to take directly into account your views, and the views of your neighbors, and to politically empower you to make real positive change possible in your communities. Initiative, referendum & recall, community councils, and grassroots organizing are but a few ways in which direct/participatory democracy is achieving great success around the world.
This site will attempt to explore in depth the concept of participatory democracy and how this grass-roots based form of governance could help bring us back in line with the principles this country was founded upon if it were allowed to take root here. In the hope that one day we can become a nation working together as a united people practicing true democracy as true equals, we open this forum…
e-VotingBooth.com is an interactive website that attempts to record how the electorate would vote on each bill that comes before the U.S. congress. We applaud this effort because if the practice became widespread it would at least provide a public record of whether or not the will of the people is being accurately carried out by their elected representatives. Although this goal falls short of direct democracy because the votes registered on this and similar websites are not officially counted and have no legal bearing upon the legislation before congress, it can at least provide a gauge of the public sentiment. It also serves to begin the process of experimentation with the feasibility of technological systems that would be employed if the votes were to be officially registered at some time in the future when the people are granted the power to vote on federal legislation under a directly democratic system. The article below throws a spotlight on e-VotingBooth.com and invites people to weigh in on U.S Senate Bill 3044 which will attempt to hold oil companies accountable for the high fuel prices. First read the following mission statement form e-VotingBooth.com to understand how it works and why it was created. Also visit the site here: http://www.e-votingbooth.com/
Welcome to the website that puts Democracy in Your Hands!
How? By allowing you to “vote” on every single piece of legislation being considered by Congress. You can even add your own comments with your vote. Then, e-VotingBooth provides the “election results” to every member of Congress and the President before the Final Bill Vote in Congress.
e-VotingBooth drastically changes the mental calculus of Congressmen and the President of how to vote for a bill. e-VotingBooth adds a new voice, YOU, to their voting consideration and e-VotingBooth gives you significant power with your Congressmen and President.
You have power because e-VotingBooth tracks every vote you make, and our first site upgrade (coming soon) will provide your elected officials’ votes alongside yours for comparison. At any time you will see how they voted on each bill you voted. This will be particularly useful right before elections. For example, if you find a Representative, Senator or President voted against you 90% of the time you are far more likely to vote against him or her for re-election than if they had voted 90% with you. Now your elected officials are highly motivated to consider you and your neighbors’ votes—or suffer the consequences.
In essence, e-VotingBooth allows you to participate in the legislative process of the United States of America and easily track how your elected officials are serving you.
E-VotingBooth provides you with information to make an informed position on whether to allow them to continue working for you (their re-election fate). So dive in and be an active participant in the legislative process of the United States of America.
Vote to hold oil companies accountable for oil prices on the Web
June 29 2008
Source: http://cnewspubs.com/elections/modules/news/article.php?storyid=679
If you are tired of paying more than $4 per gallon for gasoline take action now: vote on U.S. Senate Bill 3044 on e-VotingBooth.com.
The Consumer-First Energy Act of 2008 is designed “to provide energy price relief and hold oil companies and other entities accountable for their actions with regard to high energy prices, and for other purposes.”
“e-VotingBooth.com is the only website where all Americans can vote on any pending bill in Congress,” said Steve Thompson, founder and president of e-VotingBooth.com, “converting the United States from a republic to a direct democracy. The site allows America to switch the focus from the individuals we elect to the legislation itself.”
Americans can vote at any time on any bill (once introduced), they're not tied to the voting schedule of any bill. They can even vote bills already enacted.
“While Americans have historically been able to write their Congressman or President, these actions are relatively diluted because they are only contacting individuals,” Thompson said, “whereas voting on e-VotingBooth.com aggregates every single American’s vote in that one respective bill, amplifying their power.” No other action is faster, easier or more effective than pulling up a bill and voting in e-VotingBooth.com.
e-VotingBooth.com is a non-partisan, private and veteran-owned company that assumes a fiduciary responsibility to provide this “public trust” as the only tool for all Americans to participate in the legislative process of the U.S. Congress. “We also believe e-VotingBooth.com is the perfect tool for all organizations and individuals who wish to remain neutral or apolitical, yet encourage their members to participate in the governance of our country,” said Thompson.
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