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MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
33. You may be missing my point.
Wed Oct 1, 2014, 12:56 PM
Oct 2014

The Town Meeting thing has been in existence since colonial times, and is still in wide use in the United States. It's thoroughly tested and works just fine in smaller cities and towns. It's not as useful in larger cities, where that form of local government has been replaced with other systems.

I encourage you to investigate your idea further by learning about towns where it is well-established and has been in long use. There's no need to reinvent a wheel that is already working. I'm sure there is an excellent reason that it is only in use in small communities, which is just what you were suggesting. It was once the system of government even for Boston, back when Boston was a small community.

Where it still exists, it's a workable system. Where it doesn't, it's probably because the complexity of governing a city was too difficult for the Town Meeting concept to function well. Earlier in this thread, you chided me for arguing that your system probably wasn't feasible. My argument was based on my knowledge of Town Meeting government and other government systems for local communities. At some point, it fails to be a viable system, due to complexity. It has been replaced with representative-style government systems, simply because such systems are necessary for communities over a certain size, and for larger jurisdictions like counties, states, and the federal government.

Learning about what has already been tried for long periods of time is useful.

Why not start direct democracy cities? [View all] True Blue Door Oct 2014 OP
Because Democracy means 500 million different things to 300 million citizens? randome Oct 2014 #1
That's kind of the point. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #2
Buying land, setting up infrastructure, all that costs money. randome Oct 2014 #3
I wasn't proposing working against the system. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #9
Sounds a lot like political messaging to me. Which is a good thing. randome Oct 2014 #11
Indeed, Occupy is the inspiration for the idea. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #16
That's a good idea, but where does the money come from MineralMan Oct 2014 #4
There are any number of ways. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #10
OK. Then I suggest you get started on this project. MineralMan Oct 2014 #14
Sorry, I'm poor. No property for me. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #17
Herding cats would be easier...nt greytdemocrat Oct 2014 #5
A new political party may be birthed: the Demo-cat-ic Party! randome Oct 2014 #6
Only if it fell victim to the counterculture BS I mentioned. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #12
people had to go back to school and it got cold outside snooper2 Oct 2014 #7
Heh, yeah that's pretty much the long and short of it. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #13
And the new iPhone came out nt Dreamer Tatum Oct 2014 #19
I don't think these experiments work out very well. DemocratSinceBirth Oct 2014 #8
Athens worked exceedingly well, for a while. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #15
I'm not sure I saw your definition of "direct democracy" anywhere in that word salad Dreamer Tatum Oct 2014 #18
I don't see how a literate adult could see it as "word salad". True Blue Door Oct 2014 #20
You have some writing skills, I'll grant you that. Dreamer Tatum Oct 2014 #22
Direct democracy: Open assemblies of citizens regularly debating and voting. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #24
That is clear as mud, and I am unfamiliar with the laws that currently forbid assembly. Dreamer Tatum Oct 2014 #25
There are no such laws. That's the point. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #26
I suspect you want people forcibly assembled. Dreamer Tatum Oct 2014 #27
Of course not. I want them to understand the value of the option. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #28
Isn't that called a ballot initiative tabbycat31 Oct 2014 #21
They're a start, certainly. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #23
Current human nature makes that sort of model difficult. NuclearDem Oct 2014 #29
As I note, we can experiment with different formulations. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #31
You may not be aware of this, but such a system already exists MineralMan Oct 2014 #30
Ah, thanks. I was only vaguely aware of it. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #32
You may be missing my point. MineralMan Oct 2014 #33
In more complex cities, it could function as a branch of government True Blue Door Oct 2014 #35
I am almost certain that a system like you describe will MineralMan Oct 2014 #36
Your analogy between direct democracy and participation in representative democracy True Blue Door Oct 2014 #38
But we do have experience with "assembly democracy." MineralMan Oct 2014 #41
If you know for certain that communities changed, how many? True Blue Door Oct 2014 #46
I don't have those numbers. You'll have to look them up yourself. MineralMan Oct 2014 #48
I wouldn't know where to look, and I suspect neither do you. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #49
How many people can participate in Direct Democracy...and how many want to? brooklynite Oct 2014 #34
The "how" comes after the decision to do it, not before. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #37
No, it doesn't brooklynite Oct 2014 #39
"Multi-layered"? That isn't what I said at all. It's as flat as a pancake. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #43
Not true NobodyHere Oct 2014 #42
No, it's like being born and THEN deciding what your career is going to be. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #44
Of all forms of govt I am aware of..... NCTraveler Oct 2014 #40
I don't think representation is mutually exclusive with direct democracy. True Blue Door Oct 2014 #45
Direct democracy never works tuhaybey Oct 2014 #47
How many words you just used are derived from the language of the Athenian Greeks? True Blue Door Oct 2014 #50
You aren't countering anything I said tuhaybey Oct 2014 #52
Take over an abandoned military base. hunter Oct 2014 #51
Or resort. KamaAina Oct 2014 #53
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