A Penigma - a mystery, under a pseudonym

Trump has gone well beyond what should be legally acceptable for a US elected official, yet he has somehow managed to remain in power despite an strong lack of popular support. But, it is impossible to get rid of politicians who do not serve the people.

So, stop pretending that the US Constittuion is somehow a sacred document: even the founders knew it would need tweaking or they wouldn't have added a process to amend the thing. And it has been controversial since it was conceived: Hell, they wrote the thing in secret.

The problem is that "checks and balances" doesn't really work when the judiciary is really a rubber stamp for insane policies. Or that the legislature really is not the representative for the people.

Representative Government is a system of government where citizens elect leaders to carry out and make public policy. It is usually characterized by institutional guarantees like periodic elections of the leaders of government, a free press, freedom of public debate, freedom to associate and some degree of governmental accountability.

John Stuart Mill considers representative government the ideal form of government. One of the more notable ideas Mill puts forth in the book on the topic is that the business of government representatives is not to make legislation. Instead, Mill suggests that representative bodies such as parliaments and senates are best suited to be places of public debate on the various opinions held by the population and to act as watchdogs of the professionals who create and administer laws and policy. In his words:

Their part is to indicate wants, to be an organ for popular demands, and a place of adverse discussion for all opinions relating to public matters, both great and small; and, along with this, to check by criticism, and eventually by withdrawing their support, those high public officers who really conduct the public business, or who appoint those by whom it is conducted.

In other words, members are elected to legislative chambers by voters, as in elections of national legislatures in a representative government. Additionally, elected representatives may have the power to select a president, other legislators or other officers of the government or of the legislature, such as the prime minister under the parliamentary system. Although, prime ministers are usually the leader of their party, which forms the majority party in government in a Westminster parliamentary system.

The fact is that the US Constitution has become a joke outside of the United States. It's also becoming questioned within the United States. Well, other than by the people who want to believe the Russians stole the US elections.

Sorry, it's pretty obvious that was the founders for creating the electoral college who have been responsible for the problems in US elections. After all, Gerrymandering became a word when Elbridge Gerry created the thing in 1812.

On the other hand, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which was written around the time the US Constitution was has proven resilient through 5 French republics and some Empires as well. But it provides a much better framework for a bill of rights to build a government upon. After all, it does allow for peaceful changes in the structure of government.

Maybe we should look to that when the US Constitution is rewritten.

I like to point out how we already have a British North America: Canada. This points out some of the ways that the War for Independence could have fizzled: besides the ways it also came close to fizzling in on its own.

Independence wasn't as much of a certainty as people would like to think. The Colonies would have lost had it not have gained support from European powers: in particular, France. I would also add that there were some people in England who supported Independence for the Colonies.

Interestingly, most of the Loyalists who left the colonies ended up moving to what would become Canada.

And here's one of the scenarios where the British could have crushed the War for Independence early on.

 I posted about these previously here, and just had the experience of visiting one recently on a trip to Italy: La Cooperative di Cortina. 

Not sure if you have a negative connotation of socialism and cooperatives, but this was a rather nice department store in Cortina, Italy, It was on the league of John Lewis Partnership in the UK, or something like a Macy's in the US.

It was a pleasant surprise for me to realise that I was in a cooperative.

And it came after seeing dogs in the stores. Although, I have gotten accustomed to seeing them in restaurants. 

Unfortunately, mine were left at home for various reasons: the major one being this was a ski vacation. We were usually out all day.

Anyway, the quality of the items was great and the prices were reasonable.

But the best part is that the workers, and some customers are members. I'm not sure what my membership with REI  (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) is, but I have belonged since I lived in Washington, DC in the late 1990s. REI brands itself as a consumer cooperative.

So, Cooperatives aren't totally alien to the US. They definitely aren't to the UK. 

On the other hand, dogs everywhere is definitely still alien in the US, but I hope for not much longer.

And here are a couple of happy pups in Cortina. 

I'm tossing in this video about Scotland's Community Wealthbuilding law, which sort of ties into the concept of cooperatives.

I have to admit that I am coinsidering going back to Linux since Apple is trying to get me to upgrade to Tahoe. I don't want AI.

I want my computer to be a tool.

Not run my life.

Matt Gaetz exposes Persecution of Christians in Israel using Mike Huckabee's own writing.