tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86089189859691213402024-03-13T20:41:26.318-07:00Blair's BlogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699655520680424517noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8608918985969121340.post-125991969472769062015-11-05T16:17:00.001-08:002015-11-05T16:17:46.836-08:00America's Big Election Night<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Although a number of important—and under-reported—elections
just took place in the U.S., the election that might ultimately matter most to
Americans happened last month in Canada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There, the Liberal Party executed an ’08 Obama-like ousting of the
governing Conservative Party.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Three aspects of the Canadian election are
particularly notable and inspiring—if not downright revolutionary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One is the Liberal Party’s promise to change
Canada’s winner-take-all elections; two is the re-election to Parliament of Green
Party leader Elizabeth May; and three, is the inclusive Cabinet appointed by
the new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Canada, like the U.S., is one of the few remaining
countries to still use winner-take-all elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In both countries, a candidate need not earn
a majority of the vote in order to win election.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The candidate with the most votes wins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That, on the surface, might sound fair enough
until you consider a three way race where a candidate can with 34% of the
vote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Winner-take-all, in a situation
like this, means that 66% of the voters—the vast majority—will vote for a
losing candidate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s hardly
democratic and it happens with an alarming frequency in both countries.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Elections in the U.S. and Canada take place in
hundreds of electoral districts (known as “ridings” in Canada).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In each individual district, a candidate can
win with less than a majority producing a distorted result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you aggregate the vote totals of all the
local districts, the combined results can create an even greater distortion at
the national level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s how Justin
Trudeau’s Liberal Party won a majority of seats in Canada’s Parliament with
only 39% of the vote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s also how
the Republican Party won a majority of seats in the U.S. House in both 1996 and
2012 despite losing the national popular vote to the Democrats.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One of Trudeau’s campaign promises was that the
recent election would be Canada’s last using winner-take-all.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Two alternatives that will be considered to replace
winner-take-all in Canada will be Ranked Choice Voting, also known as Instant
Runoff Voting, and Proportional Representation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although there are a variety of proportional election systems, the basic
idea behind all of them is that a political party’s share of seats in the
legislature should correspond to the share of the vote that party
received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, if a party
receives 10% of the vote, it should be awarded 10% of the seats in the
legislature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the world’s
democracies use some form of Proportional Representation.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ranked Choice Voting is used to avoid
“vote-splitting” or the “spoiler” dynamic as well as to more accurately reflect
the will of the voters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Ranked
Choice Voting, instead of voting for just one candidate, you rank the
candidates in order of preference—“1” for your first choice, “2” for your
second choice, “3” for your third choice and so on down the line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a candidate wins a majority of first
choice votes, that candidate wins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If no
candidate receives an initial majority, the candidate with the fewest first
choice votes is eliminated and the votes for the eliminated candidate are
redistributed among the remaining candidates according to the voters’ second
preferences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The process repeats until
one candidate has a majority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ranked
Choice Voting is used in a number of U.S. cities including Oakland and
Minneapolis; in Australia and Ireland; and by the Academy for Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences—in other words by the folks who award the coveted “Oscar.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many places which use Ranked Choice Voting
experience greater voter turnout and more civil campaigns.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The prospects of our neighbor to the north radically
revamping its national electoral structure within the next four years is a
political earthquake that the U.S. cannot ignore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>America’s archaic electoral institutions will
come under even greater scrutiny and pressure to reform.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The re-election of Canada’s Green Party Leader, Elizabeth
May, to the national Parliament is another reason for pro-democracy activists
in the U.S. to cheer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May is seemingly
universally recognized in Canada as a conscientious and diligent legislator who
works across party lines to get things done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many Canadians—whether Green or not—look to her as the voice of the
environment and some consider her “Canada’s conscience.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her stature will only be boosted when she
attends the upcoming U.N. Conference on Climate Change later this month in
Paris.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May’s accomplishments demonstrate
that a small political party can have a big voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Canada changes to a more inclusive
electoral system, the Green Leader’s hard work may translate into an even
greater role for the Green Party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
developments will hopefully illuminate the potential for a genuine multi-party
democracy in the U.S.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEyZLv0TR2UzedhOD0HIkVV40tnaQPGtCbclTYImRu0zO8cj7FAXQSar8Kt05IFUfsuVn7h_Q38ct13IouCKvJ0DNFKkIWzGJi8GoqjtJyfAOeMNoC7zY_1t55eHtui9RuPStpP8cM2I/s1600/Elizabeth+May+Election+Day+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEyZLv0TR2UzedhOD0HIkVV40tnaQPGtCbclTYImRu0zO8cj7FAXQSar8Kt05IFUfsuVn7h_Q38ct13IouCKvJ0DNFKkIWzGJi8GoqjtJyfAOeMNoC7zY_1t55eHtui9RuPStpP8cM2I/s320/Elizabeth+May+Election+Day+2016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The U.S. could also learn plenty from Prime Minister
Trudeau’s cabinet appointments: Trudeau just appointed the most diverse cabinet
in the history of Canada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Half of the
appointees are women and the cabinet also includes two aboriginal individuals
and three Sikhs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, for the first
time, the environmental minister carries the new title of Minister of the
Environment <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and Climate Change</i>.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">With an amazingly inclusive cabinet, a focus on
Climate Change and the promise of transformative election reform, Canada is
demonstrating what democracy in the 21<sup>st</sup> century should look like.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699655520680424517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8608918985969121340.post-46165843429519496052015-03-05T12:04:00.001-08:002015-03-05T22:21:07.943-08:00The Classiest Damn Act in Sports Today<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The vast readership of this blog (both
of you) might be surprised that I’m writing about something as seemingly
mundane as “sports” since I usually write about politics and elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, let me tell you, last night I witnessed
not only one of the most exciting basketball games of all time, but I also got
to see the classiest damn act in sports today—Coach Wayne Tinkle and the Oregon
State Beavers men’s basketball team.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">For those of you who don’t know, Wayne
Tinkle took over a team that could charitably be described as “in transition.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before Coach Tinkle took the helm, players
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Enter Coach Tinkle who promised only an
emphasis on fundamentals, teamwork and dedication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The team, many said, had “no stars” left; no
high-scoring players, no big names.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But,
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coach Tinkle’s roster appeared to be
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actually been recruited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To fill out the
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last night, Coach Tinkle rewarded those
walk-ons—most of whom hadn’t played a minute all season—with the
distinction of starting in one of the most important games of the season:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the final home game; the Civil War with the
rivals from down the road, the dreaded Ducks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was an incredible gesture—all the more dramatic for what was on the
line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The near-capacity crowd at Gill
Coliseum couldn’t have cared less if it was a risky—or even reckless<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">—</span> move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We roared our approval when the line-up was
announced and did so again when the starting five—all Oregon kids—came out of
the game and were replaced by the usual starters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no finer way to honor the
contribution those players made to the team and to the unexpected success the
team has enjoyed this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I haven’t enjoyed any “spectator” sport
this much since I was a kid (although, as much as I scream and cheer at the games,
maybe I’m more than a mere spectator). Whether the sportswriters consider the
Beavers’ players to be stars is absolutely irrelevant: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>there is a wealth of talent, athleticism and
teamwork on the court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the atmosphere
in Gill Coliseum has been nothing short of electric all season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beyond all that, with last night’s gesture,
the Beavers and Coach Tinkle showed us that sportsmanship is about much more than
just playing a game.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699655520680424517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8608918985969121340.post-83798304335836420632015-02-17T13:55:00.002-08:002015-02-17T13:55:24.333-08:00A View from Oregon<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I feel sorry for
John Kitzhaber—the soon to be ex-Governor of Oregon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s accomplished a lot, he loves this great
state of ours and he seems like a decent enough guy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m not saying I
agree with him politically—I ran against him as the Green Party nominee for governor
in 1998—or that he shouldn’t have tendered his resignation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he is taking the fall for a media-driven “crisis”
that owes more to stupidity than corruption.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kitzhaber is an
interesting political character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
former ER physician, his trademark accomplishment was creating the Oregon
Health Plan; a state-based forerunner of the Affordable Care Act established long
before “Obamacare.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his third term,
he also refused to enforce the death penalty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But there’s a lot about Kitzhaber’s tenure that is not as laudable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, he’s been far too cozy with the
timber industry and, back in his first term, he signed a bill to re-criminalize
the possession of small amounts of cannabis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Shortly after Kitzhaber signed the bill into law, it was overturned by
the voters). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prior to becoming governor,
Kitzhaber served in the Oregon House and as the President of the Oregon Senate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This past November, he was elected to an
unprecedented fourth term as governor—though, per Oregon law, the terms were
not consecutive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In short, he has
enjoyed as fairly remarkable political career; the stuff of which legacies are
made.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">His downfall
came fast and furiously.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A rule of thumb
in politics is to avoid the appearance of impropriety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One should avoid not only impropriety but
even the appearance of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s
where the Governor blew it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The accusations
against him center around what some have labeled “influence peddling.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The amounts in question—less than a couple of
hundred thousand dollars—are laughable especially when compared to, say, the $889
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">million</i> dollars the Koch brothers are
reported to be planning on spending <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">legally</i>
in the next presidential election.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “influence”
was in the form of consulting contracts his companion Cylvia Hayes had with
non-profit organizations which were promoting sound public-interest public
policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It was
unquestionably stupid of the Governor and Ms. Hayes to blur so many lines of
public and private roles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Especially
when it could be argued that “the private”—advocating for cleaner energy and
greater sustainability—was really in the public interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it gets back to that old “avoiding even
the appearance of impropriety” thing and the Governor and Ms. Hayes, seemingly
through a mixture of recklessness and arrogance, clearly failed to do
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They provided more than enough
fodder for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Oregonian</i>, a
once-mighty, now shrinking and rightward-drifting publication, to call for
Kitzhaber’s resignation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Oregonian</i> did so, it pounded a
continual drumbeat which became hard for the political establishment to ignore.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Interestingly,
the story about Ms. Hayes’ consulting contracts was first broken by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Willamette Week</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Oregonian</i> has a history of being scooped on scandals and big stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s one-time motto—“if it matters to
Oregonians, it’s in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Oregonian</i>”—was
spoofed by the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i> when
the Post broke the Bob Packwood scandal a couple of decades ago and recast the
motto as “if it matters to Oregonians, it’s in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i>.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Willamette Week </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“broke” the story just this past
summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ms. Hayes had been seemingly
blurring public and private roles throughout the entirety of the Governor’s
third term.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So where the hell was Oregon’s
press corps for the previous three years?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So much for investigative journalism and the Fourth Estate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">John Kitzhaber
was just re-elected in an election where Oregonians famously legalized cannabis
and not so famously denied drivers’ licenses to undocumented individuals who
pick the grapes for Oregon’s fabled Pinot Noir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That election also saw a ballot initiative to protect consumers by
requiring the labeling of GMO food products.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That initiative lost by a mere 837 votes—but only after a recount and
after Monsanto, DuPont and friends spent a record-breaking $19 million to flood
airwaves and mailboxes with propaganda in opposition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not a crime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it should be.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yes, the
Governor let us down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But so did the
press who let this go unreported for so long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And in comparison to the legalized bribery that passes for “campaign
finance,” the financial aspects of the Governor’s or Ms. Hayes’ transgressions
amount to chickenfeed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Oregon’s
Secretary of State Kate Brown will be sworn in as our new governor on
Wednesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like Kate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has taken steps to expand voter
participation and has been open to protecting and expanding the role of
independent political parties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She will
have to run in a special election in 2016 in order to stay on as governor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Wednesday, she’ll have to hit the ground
running and it won’t be long before she has to stand for election on her
own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But she can do two important things
during that brief period of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One,
she can appoint a successor Secretary of State who shares her commitment to
opening up the political process to all Oregonians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And two, she can take the lead in protecting
our democratic process from the pernicious effects of private money which
drowns the voices of public citizens.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699655520680424517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8608918985969121340.post-11573193004616521812014-10-12T20:11:00.004-07:002014-10-12T20:11:56.181-07:00Measure 90 is Dangerous and Deceptive<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As one who has worked for twenty five
years in Oregon to increase voter choice and participation, I can say this
about Measure 90:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it is one of the most
dangerous and deceptive election “reform” proposals I have even seen.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Whether or not the Big Money proponents
of this ill-conceived measure intend to sabotage the democratic process and
silence the voices of independent voters, that will be its effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Considering that this measure is supported by
some of the biggest lobbying groups in the state (who, in turn, receive support
from the Koch Brothers), that could well be the intent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why else would Associated Oregon Industries
pour $50,000 into this proposal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
the group that has fought every minimum wage hike tooth and nail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>AOI and the Koch Brothers interest in
democratic reforms begins and ends with how “democratic reforms” can benefit
AOI and the Koch Brothers.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Still, politics does make for strange
bedfellows and some good citizens have been caught up in the ridiculous
rhetoric and nonsensical claims of the measure’s proponents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although
Measure 90 will allow all voters to vote in the primary, that election is
usually a waste of time that few people bother participating in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Measure 90 won’t change that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real change will come in November—when <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all voters</i> will be restricted to having
the “choice” of just two candidates in each race.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here’s what will happen if Measure 90 passes:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>if you’re an independent voter, you’ll get to
vote in the primary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, only two
candidates for each office will be on the ballot for the election that really
counts—the main election in November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
November, when you vote for Governor or Congress or the U.S. Senate, there will
be only Republicans and Democrats on the ballot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will be no independent candidates; no
Greens, no Libertarians, no other “third party” candidates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some races, only Republicans will be on
the ballot; in others, only Democrats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
proposal that is supposedly all about empowering independent voters will give
independent voters the “choice” of voting only for Republicans and Democrats in
November—at the one election that really matters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Washington and California have used this
same system, no third party or independent candidate for statewide office has <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ever</i> been on the November ballot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The sad truth is that our elections are broken
and in desperate need of reform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Measure
90’s backers are exploiting this desperation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What is unfortunate is that there are any number of reforms that would
increase diversity and participation in elections and would do it without the
many ill effects of Measure 90.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
“closed” primaries prevent participation, we could open them up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, better yet, do away with primaries
altogether.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The voter turnout rate is
laughable, few races are actually contested, and taxpayers subsidize what
should really be an internal function of the Democrats and Republicans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So let’s just kill the primary altogether.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one will be excluded, we’ll save a ton of money,
campaigns will be shorter and we won’t have to worry about this Measure 90
nonsense.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Elections are about a lot more than
winning and losing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elections are—or
should be—about public policy, big ideas and a healthy debate about the future
of our country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although “third parties”
may not often win, they have been responsible for introducing “radical” ideas—such
as marriage equality, cannabis legalization, and the abolition of slavery—into
mainstream politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Measure 90
passes, Oregon’s elections will be over in May—before most voters are even
paying attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Come November, there
will be only Republicans and Democrats on the ballot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will be no independent voices heard
from May to November; no debate over issues like undeclared wars, NSA spying
and the corporate control of our government.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Democracy is about choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Measure 90 limits our choices when choices
matter most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Protect democracy’s most
precious right:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vote No on 90.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>This column was published in Eugene Weekly and on-line at http://www.eugeneweekly.com/20141002/guest-viewpoint/dangerous-deceptive</i> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699655520680424517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8608918985969121340.post-3352622640102146142014-09-28T15:50:00.000-07:002014-10-12T20:03:50.319-07:00Top Two is a Failure; Oregonians Deserve Better<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">There
are three things Oregonians need to know about Measure 90, the Top Two election
proposal on the November ballot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First,
Top Two will severely restrict voters’ rights to vote in all November
elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, Top Two is
undemocratic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Third, there is absolutely
no evidence that Top Two will improve our elections.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
right to vote is the most precious right in our country; it is the right on
which all other rights depend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Freedom of
choice in the election process is what differentiates a democracy from, say, a
dictatorship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the big business
backers of Top Two focus on the effects their proposal will have on primary
elections, the November election is where it will truly wreak havoc with the
democratic process.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
the November election, under Top Two, there will be only two candidates on the
ballot in each race—and both candidates could be from the same party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has been the experience in Washington and
California using Top Two:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>elections
where the “choice” is between two Republicans or two Democrats.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Limiting
choices to just two in our most critical election is offensive to democratic
ideals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most civilized nations offer
their citizens a veritable menu of choices on Election Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet Top Two limits us to only two choices;
one “choice” away from those afforded to you in China or Cuba.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Elections
are about ideas and not simply about winning or losing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Top Two, the debate that would ensue
after the May primary would be extremely narrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if we could only get our news from ABC
or CBS?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if there were no newspapers
or internet, no CNN or NPR or Fox or MSNBC? Would we accept those
“choices”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if your “choice” for
news was between ABC and ABC?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are
the kinds of “choices” which Top Two will produce.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
some districts, Republicans will be shut out of the November election; in
others, it will be Democrats who are left out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In every statewide race, there will be no independent or third party
candidates on the ballot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will
limit the debate not only for today but far into the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traditionally, the role of third parties is to
introduce ideas to the electorate long before they are commonly accepted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once seemingly “radical” ideas—from marriage
equality and the abolition of slavery to ending cannabis prohibition and
recognizing the right of women to vote—were all first championed by third
parties.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
slight-of-hand proponents of Measure 90 claim that it will increase voter
turnout and produce legislatures which are moderate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is absolutely no evidence to back
either claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, using Top Two,
California just suffered the lowest voter turnout primary in its history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, according to a recently released study,
California has the most polarized legislature in the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it comes to increasing voter turnout and
producing “moderates,” the California experience demonstrates that Top Two is a
complete failure.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Changing
our elections is a great idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
country is becoming increasingly diverse—as is Oregon to a much more modest
extent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fewer people are also participating
with the two major political parties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
do need new election systems that will reflect this diversity of opinion and
population.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many successful
models used across the country and around the world which accomplish these
noble goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, Top Two
doesn’t aim for diversity or more choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It restricts choice and limits debate and participation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oregonians were right to resoundingly reject
this ill-advised proposal by a 2-1 margin in 2008 and would be wise to do so
again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><i>This essay appeared in The Oregonian and on-line at www.oregonlive.com.</i> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699655520680424517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8608918985969121340.post-16272339140396306032014-05-21T16:33:00.000-07:002014-09-28T15:52:28.958-07:00DIY Direct Democracy<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A seismic shift in the American political landscape
has gone largely unnoticed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, the
implication of this political earthquake knows no bounds.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On Tuesday, voters in two Oregon counties—one of
them rural and conservative—voted to ban GMO’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 2012, voters in five states legalized gay marriage and the
recreational use of cannabis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is so
remarkable about these victories is not just the incredible, rapidly shifting attitude
of the electorate, but the fact that these successes came from voter-led
initiatives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, these independent
grassroots victories do not owe their success to any politician or political
party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In fact, for years, activists who have pushed for
marriage equality and cannabis legalization have been operating at the fringe
of the political establishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly,
neither the Republicans nor the Democrats—the country’s dominant political
forces—have embraced these two issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps
nothing else better demonstrates both the shortcomings of the U.S. “representative
democracy” and the potential of DIY Direct Democracy.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our so-called representative democracy is neither
representative nor democratic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a
hoax, a paradox, a cruel joke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an
open secret that money buys elections; that Congress panders to their
contributors and that popular support for issues generally fails to translate
into political support inside of the Capitol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But now, the joke may be on our elected representatives.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Remember the old bumper-sticker “If the people lead,
the leaders will follow”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now it doesn’t
really matter if the leaders follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
the people lead, the people will follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And that’s what’s important.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If such seemingly radical change as banning GMO’s,
ending cannabis prohibition and ushering in an era of equality can be achieved
at the ballot box, what else can be accomplished through citizen-led
initiatives?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>just about anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, citizen initiatives have already
produced publicly funded local elections and, in cities from Minneapolis to San
Francisco, major democratic improvements in the way in which local officials are elected. The
initiative process can be used for virtually anything that could be
legislated—subject only to the limitations of your imagination and your state’s
constitution.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The success of activists in these three areas
demonstrates the power of an alignment of an unrecognized <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">majority</i> of voters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">majority</i> of voters in jurisdictions from
coast to coast have shown their support for issues that their elected
representatives won’t touch with a 10 foot pole—or on which they’ve been
slowing…“evolving.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beauty of DIY
Direct Democracy is that it is issue-based and transcends political parties,
political affiliation or no affiliation at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Elected “representatives” won’t reflect the views of
the public until we have serious political and electoral reform which addresses
our winner-take-all elections, lack of public funding for political campaigns
and the corporate domination of the election process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the success of the DIY ballot
initiatives proves that the American People are more open-minded,
future-focused and solution-oriented than their “democratically elected”
representatives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our government is
out-of-touch and the methods we use to elect it are corrupt and mired in the
past.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">DIY Direct Democracy is the future of American
democracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it's here now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><i>This essay was published at www.commondreams.org.</i> </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14699655520680424517noreply@blogger.com