On Mar 8, 11:26*pm, m II wrote:
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On 11-03-08 12:23 PM, Kevin Alfred Strom wrote:

This is a problem that civilized societies have been dealing with since
long before the time of Plato.

"Do dumb or smart people make the best citizens?" It's a tough call.

If you outlaw any but tiny contributions, and take away the ability of,
say, a modest factory owner or Internet entrepreneur to have an
influence on the process, you disenfranchise one class of "player" in
today's system (and one of the smallest, most independent classes at
that). Then the influence of the billionaire media elite's coverage of
the candidates will become proportionally more important in deciding the
outcome of the nomination and election process -- and the billionaire
media elite are the very fount of the oppressions we suffer today.

How about apportioning votes according to taxes paid? That way the
deadbeats, corporate or otherwise, have NO say.

My solutions are similar to some proposed by Plato, and actually
implemented by the founders of the United States and their early
successors:

1) The powers of government must be strictly limited to a very small,
almost vanishingly small, sphere of our lives. This limitation must be
absolute, and no talk of "emergencies," economic or even existential
should be allowed to erase them. Then, at least, freedom will be
preserved and the inherent corruption of politics will be limited in
extent.

The leeches that tend make up the political class have gotten rather
good at making themselves look absolutely necessary. I see a problem in
convincing the unwashed in Holland MI that we can survive rather well
without the politburo parasites.

2) The concept of "one biped, one vote" is inimical to freedom and must
never be allowed to prevail again. There must be tests by which a
potential voter proves his or her knowledge of civil society (including
the sanctity of the limits on the state described above) and history and
basic literacy before she or he is allowed to register. This will
prevent the oligarchs and their media from using the emotions and the
gullibility of the unwashed to push their agenda, as they invariably do
today.

Well, OK. I can see your point about the dilution of the quality of the
vote. The powers that be probably like things just the way they are. The
monster truck and pro wrestling crowd are easy to sway. The Roman
equivalent was 'Give them Circus'.

- Getting a minimum voting prerequisite of, say, a
- grade 12 education in place would probably take
- a hundred years. The slime masquerading as
- lawyers would make sure of it.

Mike,

Most-of/Nearly-All of the so-called 'Slime Masquerading'
as "Lawyers" have a High School {12th Grade} Education
Plus a College Degree and Passed a State Educational
Licensing Examination. {The Professional Class}

All of Them Clear Would Have The Right To Vote :
Using Most Educational Critera as a Standard of :
Who Can and Can't Vote.

OBTW : The ?Vast? Majority of the Elected Officials
at State and National Levels are "Lawyers" Too.
-tfif- They Too Would Still Have The Right To Run For
and Hold Public Elected Office; and Appointments as
State and Federal Judges too.

Clear One Thing Taints : Voting & Elected Officials &
Judges -hint- Lawyers : Stay Out The Lawyers ! :-} ~ RHF