- Joined
- Jun 23, 2009
- Messages
- 133,631
- Reaction score
- 30,937
- Location
- Bagdad, La.
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Very Conservative
Progressives want to go to a parlamentary system? Another one of those hillarious moments they're famous for. :rofl
....To me the enemy of freedom is the centralization of power.
sounds like a Tea Party talking-point.
That doesn't bother me so long as it's true.
Do you think the centralization of power isn't the enemy of freedom?
A society can have a strong central-govt. while overwhelmingly respecting & supporting civil-liberties.
Strong central-govt. and civil-liberties are NOT mutually exclusive. Such an argument, is ignorant.
It's ridiculous. All this bitching about how other parties don't "have their voices heard" or candidates who are isolated. The American people like their politics simple. Nobody is going to vote for the Communist party anymore than they're going to vote for the Constitutional party for the same reason nobody votes for Kucinich or Paul in any meaningful way. It's because they don't represent the mainstream. Republicans and Democrats represent the immediate interests of both their demographics. Nobody really gives a **** if you want to strike down the 14th or audit the Fed.
I don't see how such an argument is ignorant.
Do you have an example of a strong, central government that is overwhelmingly respectful/supportive of civil liberties?
Progressives want to go to a parlamentary system? Another one of those hillarious moments they're famous for. :rofl
Britain. Germany.
France. The United States of America. Canada.
That's not centralized power.
When I mean centralized, I mean centralized, as in an authoritarian dictatorship. Power is centralized in the dictator.....
sorry, but I am going by the common definition of centralized power.
if you wish to redefine "centralized power" as to confirm your personal views, go ahead. But don't expect anyone else to play along.
Most Americans Want a Third Political Party
Majority of Americans Still Want Third Major Party « JONATHAN TURLEY
Americans Renew Call for Third Party
People don't vote for them because it's a waste of a vote with our current electoral system. Very few people actually believe that the republicans or democrats actually serve their personal views. They are just voting whoever is closer.
If more parties had a fair shot, you'd see a huge divide in power held by both current sides. There is a reason for that. It might take a little time for the new parties to balance out power, but that doesn't mean they are simply insignificant.
I don't see how such an argument is ignorant.
Do you have an example of a strong, central government that is overwhelmingly respectful/supportive of civil liberties?
THAT is the truly wasted vote, IMO. Voting for a person that you know you will still be dissatisfied with. I used to hold that belief, but now I've been disappointed so many times that I no longer see any value in it whatsoever. And what sucks is, I KNEW I was going to be disappointed, so I can't even claim to have been surprised.People don't vote for them because it's a waste of a vote with our current electoral system. Very few people actually believe that the republicans or democrats actually serve their personal views. They are just voting whoever is closer.
Canada comes to mind....
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government,[1][2][3] is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council. In both senses, the construct was established at Confederation, through the Constitution Act, 1867, as a constitutional monarchy, wherein the Canadian Crown acts as the core, or "the most basic building block,"[4] of the kingdom's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy.[5] The Crown is thus the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Canadian government. [6][7][8] Further elements of governance are outlined in the rest of the constitution of Canada, which includes written statutes, court rulings, and unwritten conventions developed over centuries.[9]
The powers of the parliament of Canada are limited by the constitution, which divides legislative abilities between the federal and provincial governments; in general, provincial legislatures may only pass laws relating to topics explicitly reserved for them by the constitution, such as education, provincial officers, municipal government, charitable institutions, and "matters of a merely local or private nature,"[43]
People don't vote for them because it's a waste of a vote with our current electoral system. Very few people actually believe that the republicans or democrats actually serve their personal views. They are just voting whoever is closer.
If more parties had a fair shot, you'd see a huge divide in power held by both current sides. There is a reason for that. It might take a little time for the new parties to balance out power, but that doesn't mean they are simply insignificant.
I think you're arguing theory. Totalitarianism is certain centralized, but to the extreme. What you are arguing is what I believe our country was intended to be, and what was attempted by the 10th Amendment, but the Commerce Clause effectively thwarted that and our country is now far more centralized than ever imagined by the founding fathers. A more accurate definition is more relative and less clear cut.When I think of centralized power, I think of dictators like those in North Korea, or authoritartian dictators like those of Stalinist Russia or Communist China in the 60's. Canada has not only a parliament, but also branches of power. Three, to be exact: executive, judicial, and legislative power so no, Canada does not count as a nation that has centralized power, of which freedom is taken away. Centralized power is the enemy of freedom, and nations with dictators are typically nations with centralized power.