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Common Dreams reports:
Now that official debate has begun, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wants to pass Fast Track bill before Memorial Day.
[...] The U.S. Senate on [May 14] approved a motion to begin debate on the Fast Track authority President Barack Obama needs to advance controversial trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The measure passed 65-33.
Senate Democrats blocked the first attempt to proceed on the trade legislation on Tuesday, but backtracked in the wake of further negotiations--and intense pressure from the White House.
Boing Boing warns URGENT: Senate backtracks on TPP fasttrack--call Congress to oppose the Trans Pacific Partnership
TPP is a treaty negotiated under extraordinary secrecy--Members of Congress were threatened with jail for discussing its contents--and virtually everything we know about it comes from leaks. One thing we do know is that it contains a provision to let multinational corporations sue governments for passing environmental and labor laws that undermine their profits (similar provisions in other treaties have been used by tobacco companies to sue the Australian government over a law mandating plain packaging for cigarettes). We also know that TPP hardens the worst elements of US copyright, trumping Congress's right to review the term of copyright and the scope of the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA (these are the rules that allowed John Deere to claim that farmers don't own their tractors, because of the copyrights in the software in their engines).
The Electronic Frontier Foundation needs your help to contact your Congresscritter to block this. TPP is a fragile monster, and it can really only pass if the Congress abdicates its legislative authority and lets the President make up laws and legal obligations without Congressional input. The Republican Congress--and many Democrats--is vulnerable to messages from voters opposing the extension of these powers to the President.
Related: Fast-Track Trade Measure Fails Key Test Vote In Senate
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 18 2015, @10:10AM
Democracy is shit, but the alternative is way worse.
I keep seeing this kind of statement being thrown around whenever the merits of Democracy is being discussed (and getting modded to +5).
Other than dogma, what evidence are there? Are you claiming that there can NEVER be any system better than Democracy? Thus mankind had already reached the best possible form of government? That's absurd.
How is this behavior different than bible-thumpers and flat-earthers?
(Score: 2) by rts008 on Monday May 18 2015, @01:06PM
Your confusion is a direct result of you trying to see it as a binary only solution: it's either x, or it has to be y.
Sometimes it's neither, both, or some other combination.
Straight democracy is 'mob rule' dressed up nicely, USA's 'represented democracy' is obviously heavily influenced by corruption, as we see today. Dictatorships and monarchy rule both have their problems, as we all know by now.
The problems of ANY political system has less to do with the 'system', and more to do with the people involved in it. Draw up the most perfect, ideal, fair, benevolent, and prosperous system, and it can pass all reviews with flying colors...but as soon as humans actually engage that system, it will cease being perfect due to manipulation/'gaming the system' by those wanting an unfair advantage.
In other words, the 'perfect system' ceases to be perfect as soon as a human gets his hands on it with the intent of personal gain.
'kazz' never made the claim that democracy is the 'best system'(just better than the alternatives SO FAR), just pointing out the current state of things in the US, and known alternatives have proven worse. And 'kazz' is correct about democracy being shit, but better than the alternatives. If democracy was perfect, then there would be nothing but happiness for EVERYONE subjected to it. Historically, that has never happened on this planet, IIRC.
There is a lot of truth to the old saying that 'democracy is two wolves and one sheep deciding who's for dinner'. Great if you are a wolf, but tough luck if you are the sheep. Represented democracy enables the sheep to elect a wolf to vote for him. Sometimes it works better for the sheep, sometimes not.
[sarcasm] Maybe Bender has the only solution: "Kill all humans" for a perfect system. [/sarcasm]
With your 'either/ or' mindset, how are YOU different from bible-thumpers and flat-earthers'? ;-)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 18 2015, @02:46PM
Your reply was very kind. Here's mine:
Evidence? Exhibit A: World History
(Score: 2) by curunir_wolf on Monday May 18 2015, @04:04PM
The problems of ANY political system has less to do with the 'system', and more to do with the people involved in it. Draw up the most perfect, ideal, fair, benevolent, and prosperous system, and it can pass all reviews with flying colors...but as soon as humans actually engage that system, it will cease being perfect due to manipulation/'gaming the system' by those wanting an unfair advantage.
The US Constitution came pretty damn close, and was the best thing going at the time. The killer feature was that it required participation of all citizens, as well as horizontal competition (federal branches), and local authority having default jurisdiction in all but a few limited (and enumerated) powers. The goal was to eliminate the human factor as much as possible.
As Jefferson said, "An informed citizenry is the only true repository of the public will." True today as ever, but the citizenry is woefully uninformed, leading to the vast expansion of the once-limited central government, among other issues. Centralized authority is what the founders were trying to avoid.
It has been said before that the best and most efficient form of government is a benevolent dictatorship, and that's probably true. Unfortunately, it depends on the people involved in it more than any other form of government. And power corrupts.
I am a crackpot
(Score: 2) by rts008 on Monday May 18 2015, @06:25PM
Surely you jest!! (only in regards to your sig:)
I agree totally with your comment.
The sad state of affairs points to animals being lazy by nature, and we forget/deny we are animals too.
You see it in the rise and fall of societies, nations, empires, religions, etc. throughout history. When things are 'really bad', we work to improve them, when they get 'really good', we slack off and get complacent, then we get to where we are today, and start to get panicky. The well documented history of mankind points to a continued decline to 'really bad', thus continuing the cycle.
It's depressing to think about it in those terms, but it is rational and logical, IMO.(as for practical? well, YMMV) As for realistic, well we will have to see; I don't think it is pre-ordained/engraved in stone, immutable.
I see things start to really come apart starting back when being a political official/leader became a paid profession and career, instead of a duty that took time away from your normal life.
I doubt that our 'founders' imagined their 'experiment' to balloon the way it did, and as a negative side-effect, the original system has not scaled up as gracefully as one would hope.
I love the USA and it's Constitution a lot. Enough so that I truly put my life at risk many times when I enlisted in the US Army in 1977...no regrets here.
So that is why I would like to help bring about some improvements to be able to feel good about my country again, like I did back then.
I hate myself for having to admit that 'it happened on MY watch', and I am extremely pissed-off at those that are the cause for me having to feel like this.
Well, go ahead and call me 'Rip van Winkle' if you must, but I am awake now, and the way I am channeling my anger is to do as the Army trained me: get inside, turn it against itself, and give the ensuing chaos a liberal dose of 'helping hand' as I exit to watch the show at a distance.
Since I'm old and broke(physically and financially), I can do very little by myself, so I vote, and support http://www.wolf-pac.com/ [wolf-pac.com] as a start.
*rhetorical question warning*
Can you still call it 'running' for office if it involves mounting wheels and 2-liter Geritol IV on your walker, while your grand kids overclock your pacemaker?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 18 2015, @10:42PM
I love the USA and it's Constitution a lot. Enough so that I truly put my life at risk many times when I enlisted in the US Army in 1977...no regrets here.
However, fighting enemies who don't truly threaten us in any capacity isn't really defending the constitution, because there was no real threat to begin with. And as of late, we haven't had a true enemy.
I don't love the USA; only the principles to which it is supposed to aspire. Too bad it's failing, like every other country.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 18 2015, @10:37PM
If you have a better alternative I'm sure everyone would be grateful if you shared it with us.