Massimo Fixes Democracy

Massimo Pigliucci is not just an Atheist, he is also a Leftist so far over that he cannot even see that there is another side to the discussion. He has taken on the “American democracy is rotting” problem from a fairly predictable vantage point – except that this time I actually agree with a couple of things he says. Well, almost on one, anyway.

Massimo lists eight basic issues, their cause and solution. But he numbers just the first 5.

1. Corporations are not individuals and shouldn’t be treated like they are. He is particularly incensed at Republicans in the Supreme Court for this travesty.

Massimo seems to forget that news media are all corporations, and have long been so. He seems to have confused this issue with another one, lobbying. I seriously doubt that he would support not taxing corporations on their incomes just like they are individuals. Denying corporations the right to defend the issues surrounding their existence and their investors sounds like a typical generic Leftist attack on the generic “hated corporations”. Corporations are not lifeless; they are composed of groups of individuals, just as are unions and newspapers and television media – which also benefited from this Supreme Court decision.

2. Lobbying is bribery. All non-individual petitions to the government should be stopped.

Well, that should certainly put the hurt on the environmentalists, unions, rights groups, George Soros and his blizzard of shell groups, etc. Well, of course the rich individuals could spend their lives petitioning. And the lawyers would certainly be glad to sue in their behalf, over and over. And others could chip in for the effort, say corporations, unions, etc.

3. The filibuster is an idiotic and undemocratic tool.

Except a short while ago, when the minority Democrats loved it to death! And vowed their lives and fortunes to protect it. It’s sort of like free speech and dissent; they love it when they're in the minority and hate it when they're the majority. Well, soon enough they will love it again.

4. Two Senators per state is “completely absurd” and an insult to Democracy. Why should Wyoming get the same number of senators as does NY (Massimo’s home state)?

Well, that’s exactly why the House of Representatives exists, Massimo. Maybe we should eliminate the Senate altogether? That would sure help solve problem #2, and #3. (Can House members filibuster? I know they take bribes.) Wait we can solve it completely by eliminating the House of Representatives, too. OK. I'm in. No more laws. Use the ones we've got, or better yet just the Constitution.

5. Two party system: we need more parties.

Parties are created to fill a need, just like any free market. Maybe that’s why Massimo hates it. It’s not the system, it’s the public, which has been de-educated by the social engineers of the Left. The public just won’t vote for libertarians and greenies; if they would, then there would be big parties for those groups. Now if we ban ALL parties, I'm in. Just individuals, standing on their principles and records.

It’s the same market thing as Liberal radio. Liberal radio goes under because no one is listening. Conservative radio does well, so the Left wants to control it. The market should drive such things, not a bunch of Leftist elitists.

6. No personal financing for campaigns: public financing only.

Whoa. The Trial Lawyers, environmentalists, and George Soros won’t like that one – unless they can use the obvious loop hole of campaigning for issues, not for/against candidates like they already do. This one is DOA: it is meaningless in the overall scheme of reality.

7. Automatic and permanent voter registration upon reaching age.

I actually think I might agree with this, providing adequate birth certification is provided. This would help prevent voter fraud, unless the computer records get hacked and / or stuffed with fake people. But it might be just a new target for activist fraud.

Oh yes, and Republicans are “nakedly dishonest when they invoke voter fraud”.

Now that is outrageous and ignorant on its face.

8. Voting should take place over two days.

Why? Um, just …. Why?

Massimo thinks the rot he smells in his new homeland would disappear if folks would just fix numbers 1 through 5.

To me this is so superficial as to be almost laughable, if it did not come from such a person of prominence. He makes no mention of the system of entitlement that is enforced by Leftist policies of victimology, and maleducation directed from the Left, and the wild congressional spending that produces lush retirements for aging politicians as they glean corporate consulting fees as a reward for their largesse. He makes no mention of a media, corrupt and functional purely as trumpets for only the Leftist agenda. He makes no mention of open borders, hordes of illegals, and he actually claims that voter fraud is a Republican fraud.

Sometimes it appears that Massimo merely types a stream-of-consciousness post, and then doesn’t go back and think about it. At least that’s my hypothesis.