Recent Chat About Electoral Reform

dude: what would you do to change the world?
Al Brown: i would reform the US's electoral system
Al Brown: switch to proportional representation and instant runoff voting
Al Brown: implement sensible voting machines
Al Brown: that would fix a lot of problems in the world right there
dude: really?
dude: you think that'd get people to vote?
dude: or just give senior citizens more power?
dude: haha
Al Brown: i'd let people select a party to represent them and then keep it for as long as they like or change it as often as the like - rebalance the legislative branch in real time
Al Brown: that way people would not have to vote periodically
dude: would you still keep it a dual party?
Al Brown: but would still get their interests represented
Al Brown: proportional representation would do away two dominate parties
Al Brown: each party would get seats in the legislature
Al Brown: i would also just let the legislature pick the president
dude: so, like the British
Al Brown: that alone would save hundreds of millions of dollars and a lot of agony
Al Brown: sort of like the parliamentary system, but Britain doesn't use proportional representation
Al Brown: so they have two dominate parties
Al Brown: dominant
dude: true, but still have other parties right?
dude: the most we have is maybe a third...
Al Brown: the smaller parties can't get seats because each voting area is winner-take-all
Al Brown: which stops smaller parties
Al Brown: its very anti-democratic
dude: so how do you think your plan would play out?
Al Brown: we are winner-take-all too, so smaller parties never get their share of power in the legislature
Al Brown: well, its not my original idea
dude: yeah
dude: still
Al Brown: but it would result in decisions that better represent our collective interests rather than the interests of the corporationsd
Al Brown: winner-take-all system makes misrepresentation of a candidates views pay off
Al Brown: and then pays off the candidate to vote the way the contributors want
Al Brown: countries that have PR have less expensive campaigns
Al Brown: and a party's candidates are more likely to stick with the party's constituents
Al Brown: since they don't have to vote for a compromise like we do
dude: ic
Al Brown: its like anything else. u hire a guy to represent u in court. he is your guy. he does what u say
Al Brown: isn't that how it should be?
dude: I guess
Al Brown: the legislators still have to trade support for different things to get things done, but that actually results in everyone getting more of what they want when the process is honest
Al Brown: I really care about getting X and you don't care about it either way, well, you will help me on this if I help u in a similar situation, so we both get more of what we care about

Google Patents

Now you use Google to search patents. Just be aware that when are using Google to search, Google is searching you. If you are a person of significance to Google (i.e. an actual productive inventor or investor in inventions), what you are up to is pretty clear to Google.

GOP pays $135K for New Hampshire call jamming

The Associated Press is reporting that the Republicans have agreed to $135 for jamming Democratic phones lines during the last election.

Google has more on Republican efforts to win elections this way. Karl Rove's influence has been pretty strong on the entire party it seems.