Your opinion literally does not matter

[+OverSword]

For the last few years, I've had this sense that everything I learned as a kid about how America's government works is completely wrong. But I had no idea how bad things actually were until I saw one simple graph.

Read the article and see a video here

https://www.upworthy.com/20-years-of-data-reveals-that-congress-doesnt-care-what-you-think

 

[+OverSword]

This is a video explaining that graph

 

[+ouija ouija]

The video is equally shocking but unsurprising.

[XenoFish]

I could've told you that. 

[Tatetopa]

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/02/08/alexandria_ocasio-cortez_corruption_is_legal_in_the_united_states.html

AOC "Corruption is Legal in Congress."  You may not like her, or think she is a new idiot; but she calls it and gives her own take on why your graph is so true.    I would rather have campaign finance reform and new idiots every two years  than the old experienced corrupted ones.

[aztek]

wow, shocker

[lightly]

Abolish political parties.  One man one vote.    We could call it a Democracy !      EQUAL taxation for all. Tax each dollar earned ,by whomever, EQUALLY .  No corporate entities. ....lets's see....what else.  Ummmm free wi-fi .

oh, and my opinion Does matter.  Of course that's just my opinion.  :o)

Edited May 6, 2019 by lightly

[+OverSword]

13 minutes ago, aztek said:

wow, shocker

Yeah, I put this up in response to the quadratic voting thread (or whatever it's called)  It doesn't matter.  Also I wanted people to keep this in mind as they waste their breath arguing about politics.

Edited May 6, 2019 by OverSword

[+OverSword]

6 minutes ago, lightly said:

Abolish political parties.  One man one vote.    We could call it a Democracy !      EQUAL taxation for all. Tax each dollar earned ,by whomever, EQUALLY .  No corporate entities. ....lets's see....what else.  Ummmm free wi-fi .

oh, and my opinion Does matter.  Of course that's just my opinion.  :o)

Since most probably agree with the solutions you posted and the politicians know this yet do nothing about it then no, your opinion really doesn't matter

[+OverSword]

So what do you think would work sooner/better to fix this problem?  Reform or revolution?

Edited May 6, 2019 by OverSword

[aztek]

fastest way is to stop seeing as a problem,   i personally do not.  cuz i can't think of a country where it is much different. 

my life has not change much no matter what party is in power,    most important  thing to remember is  road to hell paved with good intention,

[+OverSword]

5 minutes ago, aztek said:

fastest way is to stop seeing as a problem,   i personally do not.  cuz i can't think of a country where it is much different. 

my life has not change much no matter what party is in power,    most important  thing to remember is  road to hell paved with good intention,

Yeah, anything we do will probably make things worse short term.

[aztek]

6 minutes ago, OverSword said:

Yeah, anything we do will probably make things worse short term.

I'M Looking at result of revolutions in last 100 years and i rarely see anything good in short or long run. it's the people in power, elite class gain power\lose power, regular citizens pay the heavy price for it, and never come out as winners

 

Edited May 6, 2019 by aztek

[lightly]

42 minutes ago, OverSword said:

So what do you think would work sooner/better to fix this problem?  Reform or revolution?

Sooner?   I dunno.         Better?  Reform,  maybe.    

A revolution in human thinking ...and reformed political and social systems.  Should be easy enough huh?

[Robotic Jew]

2 hours ago, lightly said:

Abolish political parties.  One man one vote.    We could call it a Democracy !      EQUAL taxation for all. Tax each dollar earned ,by whomever, EQUALLY .  No corporate entities. ....lets's see....what else.  Ummmm free wi-fi .

oh, and my opinion Does matter.  Of course that's just my opinion.  :o)

Abolish money.

[aztek]

we do not need to help  one or another party to take power, we only need to keep existing one in check, let them fight each other, no one should come out in support of any politician. we do not need to buy into media b.s. that literally caused millions to get TDS,   when they do something that affects us people in a negative way, that is the only time we need to "get on the streets" not in support of one crook over the other, or to remove one crook to install another, 

Edited May 6, 2019 by aztek

[RavenHawk]

4 hours ago, OverSword said:

For the last few years, I've had this sense that everything I learned as a kid about how America's government works is completely wrong. But I had no idea how bad things actually were until I saw one simple graph.

This has been posted before.  It should always be posted from time to time.

[RavenHawk]

4 hours ago, lightly said:

Abolish political parties.

That’s easier said than done.  As was seen in how the Constitution came about, where the Federalists thought that the Constitution was perfect enough to protect the individual’s Rights and the anti-Federalists that wanted a Bill of Rights to secure those Rights.  That spectrum exists and continues today.  It has merged and morphed from those days and has become tainted with foreign contaminants, but whatever the current combinations are, Americans are divided into two camps and always will be.  When contaminant free, this is one of our strengths.  The process of removing the corruption should begin with removing the contaminants from our political parties, not the parties.

 

One man one vote.    We could call it a Democracy !      

But we are not a Democracy.  We are a Representative Republic.  Originally, not everyone was allowed to vote.  It was restricted to those of property (people with skin in the game).  Those that paid the taxes voted.  Those that didn’t vote had some relationship with a voter (they were in some way part of the voter and as such, the voter was aware of their concerns).  In other words, there weren’t whole populations that were not represented.  Back then, the voter was usually husband, father, and master.  Today, it would be spouse, parent, and boss.  It is those that are not of property that become targets for corruption.  Politicians promise things that can only be delivered by taking from the haves.  If you want to stop the corruption, restrict voting to those that are not so easily enticed.

 

EQUAL taxation for all. Tax each dollar earned ,by whomever, EQUALLY .  

That’s the way it should be.  But how can the lower 50% pay their fair share?  The top 10% pays 70% of the tax burden.  We could set taxes to be $100 per person.  That way everyone will have an equal voice, but that won’t come close to raising the revenue we need.  So we could go back to those of property can only vote.  There would be a minimum threshold of taxes for voting.  Those that can’t vote won’t be disenfranchised because they can’t vote, but because they are not successful.  Then the society needs to be able to encourage everyone to excel and be successful (you did build that), to broaden the tax base and add to the voter rolls by merit.  If you are not there to initiate the effort, the success will never come.  Without *you*, no one can offer a helping hand.

 

No corporate entities. ....

How are you going to do that?  We don’t have a nation without commerce and the economy.  Corporations are legitimate entities as well.  It’s really not the corporation’s fault.  It is really the people’s fault.  The people are the ones that allow the corruption.  Until the people understand what they are doing or not doing, the corruption will remain no matter how many regulations and rules we put on corporations.  Our people are not active in the body politic.  If they were then no politician would see a second term, then the crony capitalists would not be so sure of who their money might be going to?  Our people are not educated or aware consumers.  When they learn that the consumer drivers the market, then the corporation listens to their opinion.  When the people take a more active role in these functions then corruption cannot exist.  The government should be working to facilitate such an environment.  If anything, the government should outlaw monopolies.  I believe these are a poison to the free market.  It is an extreme that is not healthy.

[acute]

I can't cope with graphs. Can we have a pie chart instead?

I like a Chicken 'n' Mushroom Pie.

['Walt' E. Kurtz]

7 hours ago, XenoFish said:

I could've told you that. 

Are you corrupt sir ;-)

['Walt' E. Kurtz]

@acute chicken chart is what i want :-)

[+and-then]

7 hours ago, lightly said:

We could call it a Democracy !

Nah, it's actually called mob rule.  Our Founders understood this intimately.  They worked very diligently to create a representative Republic to save this new nation from the inevitable corruption and corrosive ignorance that is inescapable in a Democracy.  If the Progressives manage to overturn our system and we become a true Democracy it will all be over for America in a decade or two.  It may still be CALLED America but it will never again resemble the free nation it has been for two centuries.  Also, to show how obvious this fact is, just imagine the "majority" being staunch Conservatives who are unwilling to engage in any social programs that aren't paid for with current taxes.  The Left would NEVER want that kind of Democratic "leadership".  

[quiXilver]

Campaign finance reform.  Term limits.  Normal congressional districting based on geographical locations and population, not gerrymandered distrticting.  Popular votes elect officials in all offices.  No lifetime healthcare separate from the rest of nation.  End of professional lobbyists.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

10 hours ago, OverSword said:

So what do you think would work sooner/better to fix this problem?  Reform or revolution?

Doctor Who, as always, has a solution. 

Its called “Vengeance on Varos” wherein the leader puts every decision to a popular “online” vote and is tortured by a particle distinergrator if the populous doesn’t like his leadership.

 

(little known fact, the actor who played Ser Alastor Thorne in Game Of Thrones was in this episode, he looked like he was twelve).

[Coil]

12 hours ago, lightly said:

A revolution in human thinking ...and reformed political and social systems.

What is needed is not a change of thinking but a replacement of consciousness for a higher one.

Spoiler

What are the only laws and civilizations were not in history and no one could create a harmonious world that could gain a foothold in humanity. Therefore, only supramental consciousness will help mankind, intuitive or spiritual and spiritual people knew about it perfectly. You can teach a dog different tricks as much as you want but it will remain a dog in its consciousness and you can give a person the right laws, change political and economic management models but that’s not will help create a harmonious world on earth, so you need a complete transcendence of human consciousness then all human problems will disappear.

We need to take an example from the higher worlds of angels who never knew what war, deception, betrayal, elections, parties, economics, diseases and all other human attributes are.