Re: [OT] voting (was: Slashdot and media accuracy (was Re: Improved Debian Project Emergency Communications))
On 6. December 2003 at 11:07AM -0800,
Jason Newquist <jason@nocturne.org> wrote:
> On Sat, 6 Dec 2003 hendrik@pooq.com wrote:
>
> > > Friends of mine postulated the idea of having "politician
> > > duty" in much the same was as we have jury duty ... you get
> > > a letter one day telling you it's your turn to serve.
> > > Pretty sure this was done in at least one ancient govt
> > > ... think it was Athens.
> > >
> > > "Random people" have a much better chance of aligning with
> > > my interests than politicians. The fact is, anyone who's
> > > willing to put themselves and their family through the
> > > torture that is a politician's life by definition does not
> > > share my values.
> >
> > I hear that British COlumbia is planning to use a random
> > scheme to select members of the commission that is going to
> > propose a mechanism for proportional representation or other
> > more equitable election system. The result to be ratified in
> > a referendum.
>
> As usual, science fiction was here before. C.F., _The Songs of
> Distant Earth_ by Arthur C. Clarke.
You do remember that the first generation colonists in the novel
were "manufactured" from gene samples and raised by machines that
taught them a sanitized version of human history and culture?
They were genetically and culturally engineered to be altruistic.
So maybe our best hope lies in breeding out our baser instincts.
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