Path: utzoo!dciem!kevin
From: kevin@dciem.dciem.dnd.ca (Wallace B. Wallace)
Newsgroups: ont.general
Subject: Re: Highway Driving Rules
Message-ID: <1673@dciem.dciem.dnd.ca>
Date: 27 Apr 89 13:31:22 GMT
References: <8904061731.AA21685@ellesmere.csri.toronto.edu> <400@hcr.UUCP> <89Apr26.134028edt.9320@ois.db.toronto.edu>
Reply-To: kevin@dretor.dciem.dnd.ca (Wallace B. Wallace)
Distribution: ont
Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 38

In article <89Apr26.134028edt.9320@ois.db.toronto.edu> jdd@db.toronto.edu ("John D. DiMarco") writes:
>In article <400@hcr.UUCP> larry@zeus.UUCP (Larry Philps) writes:
>>As I though I understood it, the government should be passing, and thus
>>enforcing, laws that reflect the desires of the majority of the population.
>
>Egad! This is pretty scary! As a general principle, this could be disastrous.
>Imagine if the majority of the population should decide that killing some 
>minority group is ok....  
>
>>Larry Philps                             HCR Corporation
>
>John DiMarco	* We will live in the light *	jdd%db.toronto.edu@relay.cs.net

I don't think that in the history of [our] government the *majority* of the
people have ever expressed any opinion on anything, which probably has
something to do with the origin of this point of view.  I have never met
anyone that thinks that killing a minority group is ok (unless you call
child rapists a minority group) and I don't think that I ever will run
across too many of them.  (People who think speeding is okay is another
matter :-)

But, and it's a big but, people are generally lazy and will not go to any
extra effort to express an opinion.  So in a situation related to the
failings of our government system, the vocal minority might harangue their
MP's into voting for something that the majority really does not want, but
is unwilling to 'go out on a limb' to support.  This is the scary part to
me.  'The squeaky wheel gets the grease' is not a valid form of government,
at least in my mind.

What we need is instant voting capability, or at least a way for the 'lazy'
person to voice their opinion.  (I've long since realized the futility of
trying to get these people into action.  They will do something about it,
but this usually consists of them reading the paper, shaking their heads
and saying 'someone ought to do something about that.)  Maybe the MP on the
net is a really good idea after all :-)  How about can.gov.write_your_mp ?

--- Kevin Picott
      NTT Systems Inc.