I hope to spend my remaining days as a Rebelutionary.
Well, here I am, in the winter of my years, trying to foment a peaceful revolution in these dis-United States. We haven't had a good revolution in some time, so I think we're about due. What's got me all worked up is an idea I took a bite of back in graduate school and it's kinda been stuck between my teeth ever since. Mr. Walt Whitman is the culprit. Some time back, he wrote in his book, Democratic Vistas, that "Democracy" was a great word, but that it's never really been given a fair trial - not even in America. So, that's the radical new idea I'm going to be harping on, right up until my ticket gets punched. It is time to give Democracy a try.
My favorite movie of all time is Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. There's a line in that script that I revisit whenever the trail ahead seems too steep for these old legs. Speaking of the nation's founders, Miss Saunders says to Senator Smith, "Odds against them didn't stop those men. They were fools that way. All the good that ever came into the world came from fools with faith like that.” I vow to keep the faith and play the fool as long as I'm able. But I wouldn't mind you lending a hand now and then.
The history of Democracy has been a bit troubled. Usually, what happens is that the people get a little drunk on their new power and things go downhill. Chaos sets in and along comes someone promising to restore order, if they just get the power to do so. Yup – we cycle back to dictatorship and start over. I believe that cycle can be broken. But we best hurry. I see signs of chaos in the streets.
Here's the good news -- modern technology makes the next evolution of Democracy feasible. What must evolve now is a form of government that uses that technology to foster the political maturity of its citizens. Do you remember learning how to drive? Do you remember having to inform the old man of your first accident? But this is how we learn and grow. We make mistakes, we suffer the consequences, we do better next time. Well, by that analogy, our government, playing the role of mom and dad, not only has not handed us the keys; it hasn't even let us sign up for Driver's Ed.
Are you ready to take Democracy for a test drive? Try out the sample referendum on the Current Referendum page. I'll run a new one every three months and let everyone know the results. Remember -- this is no opinion poll. In the proposed new system, you are expected to study the issue objectively before voting. Then our collective decision requires that the Congress and the President act promptly to implement the new policy. How's that for radical? It's kinda like "government by the people”.
29 December 2020
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