A direct democracy is possible. But not with voting. Instead the system needs several factors to work:
1) Epistemology that starts with identifying and solving problems
2) Trust and transparency with the system
2) Decentralization
We can start a new country and prove it. A digital country called a network state. We are trying to start one called LEADERLESS - a digital country without leaders.
"How can they remain properly staffed with the best people when taxpayers are reluctant to pay civil servants salaries equivalent to those found in the private sector? "
I was under the impression that previously the draw of working for the government was pretty solid job security, even if the pay scales were lower than in the private sector. But that over the last few decades the pay scales and fringe benefits have increased to equal or surpass those of the private sector for "similar" kinds of work.
What am I missing? Although I do agree that getting the best people still requires offering top level salaries, etc. But part of all of this is countered by the "excess of elites" coming out of universities, such that there are not enough prime well paying positions to support sinecures for all of those graduates, each of whom thinks they have earned and deserve a well paying professional level income. Some do; many don't.
We are already paying our federal reps and judges and dept secretaries, etc., at least in the $175K range, basically triple the median family income, up to 4 or 6 fold that median level. I would not have a problem with increasing their pay levels (even doubling them) to attract better people, if there were solid term limits and controls on their use of insider information to advance their wealth -- i.e., if they truly approached their roles as public servants rather than trough dippers. I am thinking of good blind trusts, advanced notice of their intent to transact a particular investment action (for fully legitimate reasons - as investments rather than speculation), etc.
This is an amazing summary. It has as much substance in one post as most entire books. Not sure how I missed it at the beginning of the month.
A direct democracy is possible. But not with voting. Instead the system needs several factors to work:
1) Epistemology that starts with identifying and solving problems
2) Trust and transparency with the system
2) Decentralization
We can start a new country and prove it. A digital country called a network state. We are trying to start one called LEADERLESS - a digital country without leaders.
Here is a video about it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwNId_vuwPM&t=2s
Here is an article about the concept.
https://joshketry.substack.com/p/direct-democracy-is-the-answer-lets
We don't have to debate it. We can test it like a flight simulator.
"How can they remain properly staffed with the best people when taxpayers are reluctant to pay civil servants salaries equivalent to those found in the private sector? "
I was under the impression that previously the draw of working for the government was pretty solid job security, even if the pay scales were lower than in the private sector. But that over the last few decades the pay scales and fringe benefits have increased to equal or surpass those of the private sector for "similar" kinds of work.
What am I missing? Although I do agree that getting the best people still requires offering top level salaries, etc. But part of all of this is countered by the "excess of elites" coming out of universities, such that there are not enough prime well paying positions to support sinecures for all of those graduates, each of whom thinks they have earned and deserve a well paying professional level income. Some do; many don't.
We are already paying our federal reps and judges and dept secretaries, etc., at least in the $175K range, basically triple the median family income, up to 4 or 6 fold that median level. I would not have a problem with increasing their pay levels (even doubling them) to attract better people, if there were solid term limits and controls on their use of insider information to advance their wealth -- i.e., if they truly approached their roles as public servants rather than trough dippers. I am thinking of good blind trusts, advanced notice of their intent to transact a particular investment action (for fully legitimate reasons - as investments rather than speculation), etc.
Truly democratic systems breed knowledge creation, which is the best things humans can do.
Not destroying the means of correcting errors is the heart of morality. This s the problem with places like North Korea.