Current Events > Washington Post: 38 ideas to fix America's Democracy

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/lifestyle/magazine/how-to-fix-american-democracy
All of these are accompanied by small essays explaining their merits; I'm just pasting the headlines here. They range from liberals who want everyone to have civics homework to conservatives who want to dismantle the institutions that impede their monstrous agenda. Most are bad, many are naive at best, the few that are good tend to be too narrowly focused.

- Require Everyone to Vote
- A New High School Course: Identity 101
- One month without social media
- Befriend a libertarian (Antifar's note: probably the funniest one on the list)
- Tackle tough subjects at dinner
- Outlaw private education
- Ignore the cultural elite
- Mandate military or civilian service
- Allow garage unit rentals
- Keep dreaming
- A constitutional amendment on equality
- Establish national unity week
- Switch to instant-runoff voting
- Remind the government: it is beholden to us
- Rein in the congressional budget office (Antifar's note: the writer here was behind the GOP healthcare bill)
- Teach critical thinking
- Give every teen a black box
- Fund art centers
- Push for civil rights education
- Prevent left-wing media bias
- Let government co-own new technologies (Antifar's note: basically a UBI proposal)
- Redefine the flag
- Stop obsessing about white privilege
- End the blame game
- Celebrate government
- Peer review for candidates
- A Marshall plan for America (Antifar's note: not actually proposing a Marshall plan)
- Create a system of voting credits
- Keep education public
- Take a stand, local officials
- Mandate gun insurance
- End American arrogance
- A grassroots revolt against fake news
- Revive human decency
- Revive the Cold War economy
- Persuade voters to keep clicking
- Cultivate national gratefulness

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Antifar posted...

- Require Everyone to Vote

More people would vote if they allow online voting.

Bump
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Foolishness, the only way to fix it is to make everyone think the same and act the same.
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Antifar posted...

- Require Everyone to Vote

I disagree.

Mandatory participation in almost any event almost never turns out well.

Also, you'd further divide the country into D vs R.
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looks like someone listened to chapo this week
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A NEW HIGH SCHOOL COURSE: IDENTITY 101
Race, class, gender. These lenses on society have proved revelatory, and no one would ever deny their importance. And yet to this holy trinity, I would like to add a fourth lens: culture.

Didnt take long for the list to become a joke.
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Antifar posted...

- Prevent left-wing media bias

So when is WaPo shutting itself down
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They should make voting at the local level a requirement, not at the federal level.

wackyteen posted...

Antifar posted...

- Require Everyone to Vote

I disagree.

Mandatory participation in almost any event almost never turns out well.

Also, you'd further divide the country into D vs R.

How can you divide the country into bipartisanship anymore than it is???
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Fix democracy by outlawing private schools, giving the government yet another monopoly?
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josifrees posted...

How can you divide the country into bipartisanship anymore than it is???

By forcing people to participate in a system they don't really care about
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Antifar posted...

- Allow garage unit rentals

accessory dwelling units are an essential part of any affordable housing strategy
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I skimmed the list and that is actually the best suggestion BTW IMO
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The idea of befriending someone who has different political beliefs is funny to you?

There you have the problem
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The Admiral posted...

A NEW HIGH SCHOOL COURSE: IDENTITY 101
Race, class, gender. These lenses on society have proved revelatory, and no one would ever deny their importance. And yet to this holy trinity, I would like to add a fourth lens: culture.

Didnt take long for the list to become a joke.

Why is it so goddamn hard for you to so much as put your toe in someone else's shoe?

These things are becoming more and more relevant on a day by day basis and it never hurt to be more educated about a subject
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Fix, implying theres a problem in need of fixing, and lets just throw a large list of shitty essays in a link and call it a day
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awesome999 posted...

The Admiral posted...

A NEW HIGH SCHOOL COURSE: IDENTITY 101
Race, class, gender. These lenses on society have proved revelatory, and no one would ever deny their importance. And yet to this holy trinity, I would like to add a fourth lens: culture.

Didnt take long for the list to become a joke.

Why is it so goddamn hard for you to so much as put your toe in someone else's shoe?

These things are becoming more and more relevant on a day by day basis and it never hurt to be more educated about a subject

No, it's becoming more and more exaggerated everyday. Nothing has improved with this identity politics fetish. The sooner liberals admit they failed big time with this movement, the sooner we can go back to making progress as a society.
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Antifar posted...

- Mandate gun insurance

is this satire
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Antifar posted...

- A New High School Course: Identity 101
- Outlaw private education
- Ignore the cultural elite
- Mandate military or civilian service
- A constitutional amendment on equality
- Establish national unity week
- Let government co-own new technologies (Antifar's note: basically a UBI proposal)
- Redefine the flag
- Keep education public
- Mandate gun insurance
- End American arrogance
- A grassroots revolt against fake news
- Persuade voters to keep clicking

There was some good stuff in that list but these are absolute horse shit lmfao. Outlawing private education? What in the flying fuck? An amendment on equality? What does that even mean? Teaching students made-up horse shit about identity, instead of useful skills? lmao

It's a shame an otherwise good list was polluted with some nonsense items.

Were quite a few good ones in the list tbh.

Also some stupid ones sadly
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wackyteen posted...

josifrees posted...

How can you divide the country into bipartisanship anymore than it is???

By forcing people to participate in a system they don't really care about

If anything it would undermine the two party system. Apathy forced into action is a third parties dream
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wackyteen posted...

Antifar posted...

- Require Everyone to Vote

I disagree.

Mandatory participation in almost any event almost never turns out well.

Also, you'd further divide the country into D vs R.

Every country with mandatory voting has become a "Stalin or death" or "Saddam or death" ballot.

If more participation is the goal, have an election week.

AlephZero posted...

Antifar posted...

- Mandate gun insurance

is this satire

Why should it be? Gun victims have no recourse when it comes to medical bills caused by being shot. At this point it's as practical as car insurance.
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People shouldn't have to vote. Making voting easier is fine

Also, outlawing private education is totalitarian as hell
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MorbidFaithless posted...

Gun victims have no recourse when it comes to medical bills caused by being shot.

Yes they do. Sue the person that shot them.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Every country with mandatory voting has become a "Stalin or death" or "Saddam or death" ballot.

Who is the Stalin figure in Australia?
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FLUFFYGERM posted...

An amendment on equality? What does that even mean?

We already have the 14th.

JE19426 posted...

MorbidFaithless posted...

Gun victims have no recourse when it comes to medical bills caused by being shot.

Yes they do. Sue the person that shot them.

Tell that to Las Vegas and Texas
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Antifar posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

Every country with mandatory voting has become a "Stalin or death" or "Saddam or death" ballot.

Who is the Stalin figure in Australia?

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/looneytunes/images/e/e1/230px-Taz-Looney_Tunes_svg.png/revision/latest?cb=20130825180200

FLUFFYGERM posted...

An amendment on equality? What does that even mean?

Here's how the writer puts it:

The United States needed then and needs now an Anti-Bigotry Amendment that would constitutionalize a critical principle: Group inequity is evidence of discrimination. The amendment would make group inequity illegal and ban the incitement of bigotry, as the incitement of anti-Semitism is banned in Germany. Claims that inequity is evidence of a groups dysfunction or inferiority would be outlawed. The amendment would establish equality as a human right and inequality as anti-American and anti-human.

The Anti-Bigotry Amendment would permanently establish a federal agency that investigates inequities and punishes institutional and individual discriminators. This Department of Equity would repair inequities caused by past discrimination. It would be charged with building a nation of equal opportunity where only the diverse materials of merit pave the roadway toward success. This is the only equitable path toward a healthy U.S. democracy.

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Antifar posted...

The amendment would make group inequity illegal

Fantasy.
...or reparations. Possibly both.

MorbidFaithless posted...

AlephZero posted...

Antifar posted...

- Mandate gun insurance

is this satire

Why should it be? Gun victims have no recourse when it comes to medical bills caused by being shot. At this point it's as practical as car insurance.

The author doesn't appear to understand how insurance works. No insurance company in the country would cover willful criminal acts committed by the policy holder.
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no term limits? WTF.
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The "Department of Equity" sounds like an Orwellian dream
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AlephZero posted...

The author doesn't appear to understand how insurance works. No insurance company in the country would cover willful criminal acts committed by the policy holder.

This is...partly the point, in the writer's argument:

In broad strokes, gun owners should be required to maintain insurance on the weapons they wish to keep. Insurance companies could then be held liable if that weapon was used in the commission of a crime. Guns are much more dangerous than vehicles, so why should vehicles get more scrutiny than guns? And, well, money talks: If insurance companies were required to insure weapons, I think wed see a huge shift in background checks, as well as updated and well-maintained profiles of gun owners.

Can we imagine a world where a gun owner is refused purchase of a high-capacity magazine because he has a preexisting condition of a hot temper or an abusive online profile and his insurance company therefore deems him a financial risk? This wouldnt solve the issue of rampant massacres or inner-city crime immediately, but maybe over one or two generations, we could maneuver the same insurance debacle we cant seem to shake into regulating the gun addiction we cant seem to break. Make one demon fight the other demon. You would have capitalism policing democracy.

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Gun insurance isn't a bad idea, actually.
https://mynrainsurance.com/insurance-products/liability-personal-firearms

I don't see any real benefit of making it mandatory, apart from instantly creating a shady discount insurance market like we have with cars.

Some good ideas.
Some terrible ideas.
Some wtf ideas.

That person is a fucking idiot and a part of the problem.
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Damn_Underscore posted...

The "Department of Equity" sounds like an Orwellian dream

Vonnegut, actually.
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html

Antifar posted...

FLUFFYGERM posted...

An amendment on equality? What does that even mean?

Here's how the writer puts it:

The United States needed then and needs now an Anti-Bigotry Amendment that would constitutionalize a critical principle: Group inequity is evidence of discrimination. The amendment would make group inequity illegal and ban the incitement of bigotry, as the incitement of anti-Semitism is banned in Germany. Claims that inequity is evidence of a groups dysfunction or inferiority would be outlawed. The amendment would establish equality as a human right and inequality as anti-American and anti-human.

The Anti-Bigotry Amendment would permanently establish a federal agency that investigates inequities and punishes institutional and individual discriminators. This Department of Equity would repair inequities caused by past discrimination. It would be charged with building a nation of equal opportunity where only the diverse materials of merit pave the roadway toward success. This is the only equitable path toward a healthy U.S. democracy.

That sounds like some Orwellian nanny state horse shit. It is a non sequitur to say that inequalities are evidence of discrimination.

Anarchy_Juiblex posted...

That person is a fucking idiot and a part of the problem.

To be clear, each idea comes from a different person. Mostly they're writers and academic types, but also Kareem Abdul Jabbar and George Takei
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Antifar posted...

AlephZero posted...

The author doesn't appear to understand how insurance works. No insurance company in the country would cover willful criminal acts committed by the policy holder.

This is...partly the point, in the writer's argument:

In broad strokes, gun owners should be required to maintain insurance on the weapons they wish to keep. Insurance companies could then be held liable if that weapon was used in the commission of a crime. Guns are much more dangerous than vehicles, so why should vehicles get more scrutiny than guns? And, well, money talks: If insurance companies were required to insure weapons, I think wed see a huge shift in background checks, as well as updated and well-maintained profiles of gun owners.

Can we imagine a world where a gun owner is refused purchase of a high-capacity magazine because he has a preexisting condition of a hot temper or an abusive online profile and his insurance company therefore deems him a financial risk? This wouldnt solve the issue of rampant massacres or inner-city crime immediately, but maybe over one or two generations, we could maneuver the same insurance debacle we cant seem to shake into regulating the gun addiction we cant seem to break. Make one demon fight the other demon. You would have capitalism policing democracy.

Forcing insurance companies to cover criminal acts is pretty fucked up.
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MorbidFaithless posted...

Tell that to Las Vegas and Texas

How do I speak to a city or state?

AlephZero posted...

Forcing insurance companies to cover criminal acts is pretty fucked up.

Does anyone seriously believe that someone intent on causing mischief is suddenly not going to do so because he can't get insurance for his questionably-obtained gun?

Questionmarktarius posted...

Does anyone seriously believe that someone intent on causing mischief is suddenly not going to do so because he can't get insurance for his questionably-obtained gun?

What part of their post implies that?

JE19426 posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

Does anyone seriously believe that someone intent on causing mischief is suddenly not going to do so because he can't get insurance for his questionably-obtained gun?

What part of their post implies that?

This wouldnt solve the issue of rampant massacres or inner-city crime immediately, but maybe over one or two generations, we could maneuver the same insurance debacle we cant seem to shake into regulating the gun addiction we cant seem to break.

- Require Everyone to Vote

Forcing people to care is a kind of telling them what to think.

- A New High School Course: Identity 101

*sigh*

- One month without social media

I mean, strictly speaking, this would help a lot but there are zero decent ways to enforce it.

- Befriend a libertarian

First you have to find one.

- Tackle tough subjects at dinner

I can get behind this.

- Outlaw private education

You will learn our propaganda and you will like it!

- Ignore the cultural elite

The what?

- Mandate military or civilian service

Not the worst thing on the list, but this really says more about the list.

- Allow garage unit rentals

Whar

- Keep dreaming

Take your own advice, wapo.

- A constitutional amendment on equality

This is in the Declaration of Independence.

- Establish national unity week

Sure, whatever. Nobody celebrates Earth Day either.

- Switch to instant-runoff voting

What does this mean?

- Remind the government: it is beholden to us

I can agree with this one.

- Rein in the congressional budget office

And this one.

- Teach critical thinking

Technically we're already supposed to.

- Give every teen a black box

What, for surveillance? Hell no.

- Fund art centers

Cut the budget, but subsidize museums. Who needs, like, fire departments and stuff?

- Push for civil rights education

I dunno we learned about the Civil Rights movement like every year from 1st to like 6th grade.

- Prevent left-wing media bias

As much as I would love it, this would violate 1st amendment

- Let government co-own new technologies

Not sure how I feel. Note that as stated it doesn't mean all new technologies.

- Redefine the flag

What. Do they mean redesign?

- Stop obsessing about white privilege

*sigh*

- End the blame game

To a degree. Everyone deserves some blame. It's more that people need to learn to accept it.

- Celebrate government

As soon as they're worth celebrating.

- Peer review for candidates

Whatever, who cares.

- A Marshall plan for America

Dunno what this means.

- Create a system of voting credits

Dunno what this means.

- Keep education public

You already said this.

- Take a stand, local officials

Sure, whatever.

- Mandate gun insurance

Kind of a random thing.

- End American arrogance

And I quote: "keep dreaming".

- A grassroots revolt against fake news

Interesting idea. Probably not a winnable fight thought.

- Revive human decency

And I quote: "keep dreaming".

- Revive the Cold War economy

Dunno what this means.

- Persuade voters to keep clicking

Uh... what?

- Cultivate national gratefulness

It's simple. We kill the Batman.
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Antifar posted...

Anarchy_Juiblex posted...

That person is a fucking idiot and a part of the problem.

To be clear, each idea comes from a different person. Mostly they're writers and academic types, but also Kareem Abdul Jabbar and George Takei

Ehh, the social media blackout is a good idea but the whole point of that is to de-radicalize from half the other shit they're saying. Also fuck anyone that want's to replace, repeal, or supersede the first amendment.
Also back on the social media thing, this whole article is meant to be provocative and shared on social media.
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Questionmarktarius posted...

This wouldnt solve the issue of rampant massacres or inner-city crime immediately, but maybe over one or two generations, we could maneuver the same insurance debacle we cant seem to shake into regulating the gun addiction we cant seem to break.

I don't see how that implies:

Does anyone seriously believe that someone intent on causing mischief is suddenly not going to do so because he can't get insurance for his questionably-obtained gun?