FWD: ANTI-WTO: Don't throw the radicals overboard

[Rich Littleton]

I concur.  You make a valid and basic point.  Perhaps the problem is the
voters rather than the politicians.

However, the process is not a balanced one.  The pols have the
communication channels and the loopholes;  the voters can't really keep up
with the more than a couple of the main issues, so the pols generally have
a free hand.

Thanks.

Later,

Rich

______________________________________________________________________


On Thu, 30 Dec 1999, Kenneth Crandall wrote:

> Hi Rich,
> 
> Thanks for your feedback.  I think you misunderstood my last point.  it was
> my intent to indicate that people can remove politicians who will not listen
> via the ballot box.  It would have been more clear if I had said throw the
> Bums out!  If you don't vote as if  Finance Reform is important, then we
> will never get the reform.
> 
> 								Ken C
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rich Littleton [mailto:be718 at scn.org]
> Sent: Thursday, December 30, 1999 12:26 AM
> To: Kenneth Crandall
> Cc: Scot Harkins on SCN.org; scn at scn.org
> Subject: RE: FWD: ANTI-WTO: Don't throw the radicals overboard
> 
> 
> 
> Ken makes some good points, so I've done an interlineated response belowe.
> 
> ______________________________________________________________________
> 
> 
> On Mon, 27 Dec 1999, Kenneth Crandall wrote:
> 
> > Hi,
> >
> (
>  >
> > When politicians believe that people require finance reform, we will get
> it!
> > Make it an issue when you vote.
> 
> Ken, I would place a 100% disagreement on the table here.  Polls have
> shown that the people want campaign finance reform, and congress (esp.
> Republicans) have done everything but go in that direction.  There is an
> all-too-human tendancy for people who hold power to resist the populace's
> efforts to share that power.  (...even happens in SCNA)  As long as a
> decision-maker can get more control by consolidating power, the will of
> the electorate will lose.  (See our local examples where Washington
> politicians re-ran an election when the stadium lost once, thereby going
> directly against the will of the voters, and see that, even though voters
> passed an initiative for extending the monorail, the efforts go everywhere
> else.
> 
> So I think politicians deliberately ignore the voters if there is more
> benefit to the politicians in ignoring those voters.
> 
> >
> Good points made, Ken.  Thanks.
> 
> Rich
> 
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-scn at scn.org [mailto:owner-scn at scn.org]On Behalf Of Rich
> > Littleton
> > Sent: Thursday, December 23, 1999 12:45 PM
> > To: Scot Harkins on SCN.org
> > Cc: scn at scn.org
> > Subject: Re: FWD: ANTI-WTO: Don't throw the radicals overboard
> >
> >
> >
> > I second what Scot said.
> >
> > I'll add one item.
> >
> > Back in the 60s, when I was state coordinator for Nebraskans For Peace, we
> > got a report on non-violence.  It said that the organizations that use
> > violence generally get more done.
> >
> > I was bothered by this report and would like to see a well-researched
> > counter report.
> >
> > However, note the complete lack of progress in getting campaign finance
> > reform.  (Complete lack!!!)  Maybe we should send a note to the Eugene
> > people and suggest that they visit Wash. D.C.
> >
> > later,
> >
> > Rich
> >
> >
> >
> 
> 

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