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From: ward@hao.UUCP (Mike Ward)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Participative Democracy
Message-ID: <951@hao.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 1-May-84 11:20:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: hao.951
Posted: Tue May  1 11:20:07 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 3-May-84 08:24:05 EDT
References: <712@pyuxa.UUCP>, <29200135@uiucdcs.UUCP>, <326@teldata.UUCP>
Organization: High Altitude Obs./NCAR, Boulder CO
Lines: 26

[]
In response to Tom Condon, who made too many lengthy points to reproduce
here:

Every point you make against participatory democracy (ignorance, selfishness,
tendency to vote self interest, grabbing money from one area to another)
can be made, and in fact has been made, against our present form of 
representational government.  The contempt which most Americans feel for
the politicians "they" elect belies the notions that representatives are
those whose opinions are respected.

I feel that the lack of participation in government by the people is a
result of the feeling that there's not much that can be done.  Every time
I've gotten involved in the governmental process I've left with the feeling
that every way I turn I'm helping some really nasty people.  Movements
always seem to get taken over by the ass holes.  Reasonable self-help or
help-the-downtrodden efforts get twisted into just another gimme grab.

Democracy without the intervention of "leaders" just can't be any worse
than what we've got.

-- 
Michael Ward, NCAR/SCD
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