tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post268484740495684635..comments2024-03-29T02:03:49.151-04:00Comments on History Unfolding: For the Republicans, an idea whose time has comeDavid Kaiserhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05020082243968071584noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-41267835239868844512013-06-29T06:04:58.543-04:002013-06-29T06:04:58.543-04:00Even though I majored in history and politics, it ...Even though I majored in history and politics, it took me decades to realize the true nature of the US system. Alfred Stepan says on NPR (6-28-13) that the US has the most difficult to change constitution of any democracy on the planet. Justice Ginsburg says she would not recommend our constitution as a model, and countries that have recently adopted new constitutions have all agreed with her. It’s many essentially undemocratic features reinforce the status quo, thwart change, and fragment responsibility so that no one can be held responsible. America stagnates for decades on end until the greed of the plutocracy results in some kind of crisis that causes a super majority of people to temporarily gain power and implement some reforms, like the New Deal. But the required super majority cannot be maintained for long and the reforms are whittled away over time until the next crisis. It is quite ominous and depressing to realize that America is stuck in this endless cycle of stagnation and crisis, but we are. Thanks to our constitution, the small moneyed segment of the population that benefits from the cycle need only convince 20-30% of the population to go along with them and they can thwart change indefinitely. Read some of the many critics of our constitution, I recommend Daniel Lazare’s, The Frozen Republic.Zosimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11263402425021727149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-3327526743978328612013-06-27T18:04:27.444-04:002013-06-27T18:04:27.444-04:00Professor
I am no expert on the Constitution, but...Professor<br /><br />I am no expert on the Constitution, but it seems to me that someone might think to use the Equal Protection Clause, to oppose a state property requirement, given how constitutional jurisprudence in that area has gone in the last 150 years.<br /><br />all the bestBozonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18078858723231122013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-20397018126670379812013-06-27T13:48:23.812-04:002013-06-27T13:48:23.812-04:00Professor
Interesting discussion.
I bought Schle...Professor<br /><br />Interesting discussion.<br /><br />I bought Schlesinger's book on the Jacksonian Age, yesterday.<br /><br />I doubt that I will read the whole blooming thing.<br /><br />Other 'structural' problems, unfortunately, besides the voting franchise, obviously exist.<br /><br />all the best,<br />Bozonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18078858723231122013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-837448675622922952013-06-25T23:01:29.312-04:002013-06-25T23:01:29.312-04:00We are unbelievably screwed.We are unbelievably screwed.Matthew Saroffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09182726521277446600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8746692.post-64195675273074430172013-06-25T13:10:43.127-04:002013-06-25T13:10:43.127-04:00No doubt they'd love to do it. But that will r...No doubt they'd love to do it. But that will require a new authoritarian style government which would basically make voting a staged event. So the property provision would be largely irrelevant. Americans can be bamboozled into a lot of things, but giving up the right to vote will be difficult. Better to disenfranchise the blacks and browns in less obvious ways.THHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00999429817111711817noreply@blogger.com