orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) (01/29/85)
> > Examples like this show that democracy is absolutely the worst system of > > government. > > Except for all the others. > > Including libertarianism. > > If you are such a fan of unrestrained democracy, why aren't you writing anything > that supports it rather than the status quo? It seems there are quite a few > people willing to say "I really like what we have just now--after all, *I* am > well off." Isn't this why so many people say democracy is the best thing, yet > what they really stand behind is the democratic republic set forth by the U.S. > Constitution subject to all the restraints of the Bill of Rights and the other > amendments? > > Sure, go ahead and say that democracy is great, when what you mean is what we > have now is great... I would *love* to see democracy on the national level. > When I lived in New Hampshire I could see democracy in action--the town > meetings. One man--one vote is quite a powerful concept, as long as the vote > is directly on a proposition, rather than on which of three or four crooks will > make thousands of unrestrained decisions in the next few years... > > {purdue, cmcl2, ihnp4}!lanl!unmvax!cliff > {csu-cs, pur-ee, convex, gatech, ucbvax}!unmvax!cliff > 4744 Trumbull S.E. - Albuquerque NM 87108 - (505) 265-9143 So why should democracy be restricted to only that sphere that has been carved out as "government"? What I would like to see is more democracy in the workplace. After all, for one thing people usually spend 40 hours out of their 168 hours of the week at work. Moreover, what people do in their work is often one of the most important things in their lives. Many current problems of worker morale have come about because most people feel they have no influence or stake in their job. If I am not consulted about major decisions then why should I take any interest in the outcomes of such decisions? And why should I care if they are successful or not? This is one of the fallacies of Libertarianism: myopically focussing upon the State alone as the source of all political power. There is just as much "political" power involved in deciding whether plants will be open or closed, who will be hired, what levels of production to shoot for and other decisions made everyday in the workplace. Why do you suppose a constant source of gossip is that entity called "office politics"? I think the term "office politics" is a popular expression of the fact that decisions at work and in the office *are* political decisions. Such decisions affect not only the owner of the company but also the workers who work in it and the community in which the company is based. However under the current prevalent systems of management and control, such decisions tend to be authoritarian in nature- they come from the top of the pyramid down. If such decisions happen to be challenged one will soon find how much "free speech" is really allowed in the workplace. Why not extend democracy to the workplace? tim sevener whuxl!orb