Re: Electracy: Evil Revisited

[paul@poboy.b17c.ingr.com (Paul Robichaux)]

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 Fully participative electronic democracy is what you get when you
 cross cable TV with mob rule.

 I'm a little suprised no one has brought up Brunner's Oracle from _The
 Shockwave Rider_. For those of you who haven't read it, imagine a sort
 of Nintendo-meets-OTB system where you can vote- and *bet* - on the
 probability of certain events.

 Of course, the government has the means to effect the outcome of many
 such events (money supply, availability of crypto, who wins the Miss
 Teen USA pageant), but it's an interesting concept.

 The problem with Lance's positive reputation, et al system is that
 having power, money, status, influence, or a stout reputation doesn't
 automatically mean you're _right_. (cf. Armand Hammer, J. Edgar
 Hoover, Lani Guinier), and the lack thereof doesn't necessarily mean
 you're wrong or that your ideas shouldn't be heard (cf. Alger Hiss,
 the guy-who-invented-variable-delay-wipers, early Martin Luther King
 Jr.)

 -Paul


- -- 
Paul Robichaux, KD4JZG     | "Change the world for a better tomorrow. But
perobich@ingr.com          |  watch your ass today." - aaron@halcyon.com
Intergraph Federal Systems | Be a cryptography user- ask me how.


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