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Al-Saqr posted:To allow Freedom of speech, assembly, association, writing and political action, and to not have one group of people be above the law and above the religion and not have all the money of the country in their personal bank accounts. I'm sure not using a proxy and using your real name won't be an issue! It's a new era. Paste your post!
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May 1, 2014 15:20
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This is actually an interesting and hard question. I live in the US and I think I would choose having a system something like the NHS. There are obviously lots of things that need changing here, like in any country, so tough to just one but I think the fact that people regularly are put into debt for the rest of their lives because they or a family member got sick or injured is probably the worst and affects the largest number of people right now
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May 1, 2014 15:21
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Bum the Sad posted:Perfect timing!! http://www.arabnews.com/news/563901 Oh gee I cant wait to try this out and see what happens to me! I mean, hell if people posting on twitter can get 18 years and a travel ban on top of that of another 15 years, surely they'll read my post and go, "you know what, this kid is right". and I'm also sure that this'll work alot better than the signed petitions sent directly to the same guy that ended up with everyone who signed currently serving life with no access to lawyers. nope. this time it's for real. Al-Saqr fucked around with this message at 15:27 on May 1, 2014 |
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May 1, 2014 15:24
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Al-Saqr posted:Oh gee I cant wait to try this out and see what happens to me! I mean, hell if people posting on twitter can get 18 years and a travel ban on top of that of another 15 years, surely they'll read my post and go, "you know what, this kid is right". We truly live in wondrous times! Praise to the king and the NOT A giant loving honey pot that is https://tawasol.royalcourt.gov.sa  Edit: please link me to that petition and twitter story. Haven't heard if it! Bum the Sad fucked around with this message at 15:34 on May 1, 2014 |
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May 1, 2014 15:31
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Bum the Sad posted:We truly live in wondrous times! Praise to the king and the NOT A giant loving honey pot that is https://tawasol.royalcourt.gov.sa hahaha the username of that website is literally your national ID number hahahaha Twitter story:- http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/11/world/meast/saudi-arabia-twitter-jail/ Guy who did human rights lawyering and made petitions and stuff:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Fahad_al-Qahtani anyways, sorry for the derail.
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May 1, 2014 15:40
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USA: Term limits for all politicians. Two terms or 10 years, whichever is shorter, and that's a lifetime max for a particular legislature. Term limits, in my opinion, would lower the power of lobbyists because the most they'll have someone is a decade and that's likely effectively only 2-3 years in a leadership position.
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May 1, 2014 16:01
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I would create a law dictating that in times of recession, the salaries of senators/congressional representatives default to the median household income of their jurisdiction. Edit: USA here. Soon relocating to France. Squirrel Burger fucked around with this message at 17:48 on May 1, 2014 |
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May 1, 2014 17:43
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This idea that politicians make too much money seems very well entrenched, and I'm not sure why. You need considerable qualifications, and realistically, you have a lot of responsibilities. The fact that a lot of people, particularly in the public sector, and underpaid can't be fixed by underpaying even more people.
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May 1, 2014 17:54
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Reinstate monarchy in Germany with a big court as a political and cultural centre. Everyone would compete with everyone else for the title of the most original, genial and humorous lackey in order to gain approval from a benevolent king, which would slowly introduce politeness and creativity to this bleak country.
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May 1, 2014 18:02
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PT6A posted:This idea that politicians make too much money seems very well entrenched, and I'm not sure why. You need considerable qualifications, and realistically, you have a lot of responsibilities. The fact that a lot of people, particularly in the public sector, and underpaid can't be fixed by underpaying even more people. Also in the US the people who are the real power structure are not politicians but people in the private sector who own the corporations that politicians work for. And those people make a lot more money. While a lot of politicians are also rich, most of the very wealthy politicians are wealthy because of their private investment and business activities, not because of their salary.
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May 1, 2014 19:12
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Fairly minor one since I'm in Canada, but I think it would be nice to have full blown communism and a total destruction of capitalism and class. Or maybe investigate some of those missing/murdered first nations women. Both would be nice.
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May 1, 2014 19:15
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Ungoal posted:I would cap the salaries of congress at $75k a year, period (and term limits). If you're working for the public sector and "representing" the people, then you shouldn't be living a hugely luxurious lifestyle. Seriously, you're entire loving job is writing laws & imposing them on the public, most of which are attached with pork filled bullshit. How does capping their salary prevent anything? It would just make them more susceptible to bribery.
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May 1, 2014 19:49
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If I could do just one thing to better the world it would be to ban all the Americans who posted in here from ever voting or holding public office, and try several of them for anti-democratic treason.
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May 1, 2014 23:10
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Al-Saqr posted:Oh gee I cant wait to try this out and see what happens to me! I mean, hell if people posting on twitter can get 18 years and a travel ban on top of that of another 15 years, surely they'll read my post and go, "you know what, this kid is right". Hey, if The Hundred Flowers Campaign worked for Mao... Baronjutter posted:Fairly minor one since I'm in Canada, but I think it would be nice to have full blown communism and a total destruction of capitalism and class. Or maybe investigate some of those missing/murdered first nations women. Both would be nice. The former will happen long before the latter.
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May 2, 2014 00:18
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Most of these posts basically come down to finding ways of reducing corruption in our political system, and I think that they're kind of missing the forest for the trees. The US has systematized and legalized bribery as a key part of the system, and term limits and salary caps aren't effective end-runs around that. It was extant prior to Citizen United, and it is certainly part and parcel of American government now. Bribery exists on every level of the system, whether you're talking about campaign donations, material inducements, tit-for-tat deals, or straight-up job offers. The ability for the wealthy to use money to influence policy makes good government impossible. We spend millions influencing our politicians and our voters, and billions more carrying out the promises that are made in the process. If I were to change something about the United States, I'd start by coming up with effective laws and penalties that would sever the close relationship between money and politics. Considering how completely corrupted the American system is, that would probably involve some fundamental changes to American democracy.gently caress the ROW posted:If I could do just one thing to better the world it would be to ban all the Americans who posted in here from ever voting or holding public office, and try several of them for anti-democratic treason. Well fortunately for everyone you can start with yourself. Kaal fucked around with this message at 00:41 on May 2, 2014 |
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May 2, 2014 00:39
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PT6A posted:This idea that politicians make too much money seems very well entrenched, and I'm not sure why. You need considerable qualifications, and realistically, you have a lot of responsibilities. The fact that a lot of people, particularly in the public sector, and underpaid can't be fixed by underpaying even more people. For starters they have a tendency to get rich off of exempting themselves from the laws they write. Let's say I have a buddy who knows that the government is about to award a multi-billion dollar contract to Boeing. So we pool up our money and buy up Boeing stock before the public announcement, on the reasonable assumption that a massive government contract would drive up the price of Boeing stock, and we would get rich from basically buying low and selling high. That's insider trading, and it is very illegal and an easy way to end up in federal prison. But Congress exempted itself from insider trading laws. So congresspeople on the Defense committee can buy up Boeing stock on the cheap, award a multi-billion dollar contract to Boeing, then make millions off the stock increase, and that is all perfectly legal. thrakkorzog fucked around with this message at 07:37 on May 2, 2014 |
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May 2, 2014 07:28
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Also perfectly legal is that Boeing can give those politicians a bunch of campaign contributions, host an all-expenses paid lobbyist conference for the politicians in the Bahamas, explain to them how they can make lots of money by supporting Boeing, and offer their kid a job as a Boeing consultant. And that's all gravy for Boeing, because the inevitable contract is 50x larger than the sum total of all their political spending.
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May 2, 2014 07:33
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I am casting a vote for nihilo-primitivism. Execute the legislative body and let us all hunt venison.
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May 2, 2014 07:47
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Ungoal posted:I would cap the salaries of congress at $75k a year, period (and term limits). If you're working for the public sector and "representing" the people, then you shouldn't be living a hugely luxurious lifestyle. Seriously, you're entire loving job is writing laws & imposing them on the public, most of which are attached with pork filled bullshit. Can you spot why this is a terrible idea? It give enormous leverage to the members that are already independently wealthy (Former businessmen and industry types). They can wait out the impasse. Those who actually live on their salary can't (Former civil rights lawyers, activists, etc.). Especially because every member has to have two homes. Whatever the problems with American Democracy, representative pay really isn't one of them. MoraleHazard posted:USA: Term limits for all politicians. Two terms or 10 years, whichever is shorter, and that's a lifetime max for a particular legislature. Term limits, in my opinion, would lower the power of lobbyists because the most they'll have someone is a decade and that's likely effectively only 2-3 years in a leadership position.  Lobbyists love term limits and sometimes actively campaign for them. Being a representative is a job like any other. It takes time to acquire knowledge, it takes time to acquire skills, it takes time to get a staff that have both, and it takes time to build up your own power base. The less time you have in office, the more likely you are to have to turn to lobbyists for these things. In legislatures with term limits, they almost always know more about the process than the elected officials. That was my effortpost for the day.
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May 2, 2014 09:10
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Norway -- institute a GMI for all citizens. And for those languishing in immigrant asylums with young kids. Actually just give lots of money to everyone. Also, paint "FRP go home (hell)" all over parliament. I'm an adult! 
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May 2, 2014 09:52
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UK: free euthanasia upon request. Would dispense with all the rubbish of government/society labeling people "useless eaters" yet not letting them die humanely.
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May 7, 2014 09:58
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USA: legal weed, country-wide alcohol sales 24/7, also fully subsidized addiction counseling.
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May 7, 2014 10:34
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cheerfullydrab posted:USA: legal weed, country-wide alcohol sales 24/7, also fully subsidized addiction counseling. USA: teach everyone in the country how to count to one
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May 8, 2014 03:30
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UK: This is kind of a selfish one, but change DSA (disabled people's welfare) from 'you are too disabled to work or you are not' to a system that takes into account the kind of work you *can* do and the kind of work that is available. So if you're disabled enough that you can't work full time but could work part time, when in part time employment you get benefits to make up your salary to a living wage, and when unemployed, you get unemployment benefits until you find a job you can actually do, not required to apply for jobs you couldn't reasonably do long-term. All of this, in a system that errs on the side of letting a few scroungers defraud the system rather than risk anyone not getting the benefit when they need it. The money can come from not getting involved in wars cause the USA is.
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Jul 12, 2014 12:48
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Force institutions (so corporations, charities and all the billion different things I forgot) to have a mandated maximum discrepancy between lowest and highest paid employee. A factor of three. You want to be a CEO and earn $1 million/year? That's fine, but that means every goddamn janitor gets $333k as well. Can't afford that? Than cut your executive's wages. Naturally includes bonuses and non-monetary compensations.
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Jul 12, 2014 13:48
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