[p2p-research] Abundance Destroys Profit [was: Tick, tock, tick, tock… BING]

[Ryan Lanham]

On Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 8:26 PM, J. Andrew Rogers
<reality.miner at gmail.com>wrote:

> On Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 1:56 PM, Ryan Lanham <rlanham1963 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Same reason the US has two Senators from S. Dakota and 2
> > from California but calls itself a democracy.
>
>
> The US Senate is a democracy of independent States for international
> matters. Hence why until modern times the State governments chose
> their representatives in the US Senate.  The US House of
> Representatives is the only part of the Federal government that is a
> democracy of the people. It is the same reason Americans do not vote
> for the US President, the President is the executive of the States and
> not the people (millions of utterly clueless Americans
> notwithstanding).
>
> For most intents and purposes, power was supposed to be vested in the
> (presumably democratic) State governments, and the Federal government
> was only supposed to deal with international and inter-state matters
> that don't really involve people per se.  Obviously Americans have
> kind of damaged that arrangement, and so there are lash-ups related to
> using systems in ways they were never intended (and frequently to no
> good end)
>
>
Interesting ideas 250 years ago.  Now rather silly...as you imply.  Of
course people have been saying it since at least the 1950s. Ironically, with
the new budget operations, the Senate has grown in power and so has
seniority. Seniority tends to be more likely in small states. Thus, we have
empowered people from minor states to run our government disproportionately
when they were already disproportionately in charge.  The electoral college
is downright silly.  Even in 1800 people knew it was silly.  So the US is
effectively ruled by our most backward and small states...West Virginia,
South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, etc.  California and NY are relatively weak by
comparison.  Odd to say the least.

Consequently we have a system that is almost impossible to change and that
has rapidly grown obsolete while patting itself on the back as
world-leading--ironically the rest of the world is even more backward.
There really isn't a good democratic constitutional system around now.  The
US system relies on the president who is increasingly powerless over the
Senate.  Those enamored of Obama are finding rapidly just how naive they
were.   Another element of the perfect storm...governments unable to change.
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