UNCHECKED & UNBALANCED

Trump’s presidency has proven that the famous system of “checks and balances” is broken. His power failed to be checked with any effect, and it failed to be balanced in any way. The result: a nation, more obviously torn apart than ever before.

Despite everything you will try to do to unite this torn nation you will only succeed if you give that “other” half of the Americans the power that they are just about to lose.

The US election system is completely outdated, just like the American constitution. They are an ossified relic of the 19th century. But humans have evolved since, citizens have evolved, and democracy has evolved. In the 21st century they are a straitjacket for society. As long as it persists, there will be no peace in America, but still more filter bubble isolation, still more polarization, still more conflicts, still more hatred and still more violence. It must not go on like this. It need not go on like this.

As long as you count on elections, there will be 50+ % winners and 50- % losers. And we have just seen what the spearhead of those 50- % losers is ready to engage to reverse their decline. There is no conceivable model of representative democracy that might bring them back on board, that might withdraw the air from their blazing fire – except their own victory.

Consequently, the only solution is to realize that elections are not fit for the society of the 21st century any more. You know that Churchill bonmot that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. That’s true. But what about the one that hasn’t been tried since the ancient Greeks – SORTITION?

There is a modernized form of it, practicable and viable, up to the demands of the 21st century. It has been worked out by Terry Bouricius, a long time political practitioner. It is based on the simple principle that all those who have power are granted this power only by sortition and only for a very limited period of time. But as democracy can’t do without the input of experts, they must be free to contribute what they feel obliged to contribute – but they must not have any power (except that of the better arguments). Here are both proposals in detail:

http://kairos.social/public/An_Idealized_Design_for_the_Legislative.pdf

http://kairos.social/public/An_Idealized_Design_for_Government._Part.pdf

I am fully aware that this would mean kind of a revolution. But as someone said, aging is bad, but consider the alternative? Turning democracy upside down by giving the people power they have never had might be bad for many powerholders, but consider the alternative?!

Only a real “government of the people, by the people, for the people” can heal these wounds, can bring those together again who can’t even talk to each other any more: a legislative power and a government based on a wise sortition procedure. Only sortition can include ALL Americans equally, regardless of the color of their skin, their sex, their political preferences, their personal attitudes etc. etc. Only sortition can be equal, only sortition cannot be corrupted, only sortition can bring Americans together again. This is only utopian as long as it isn’t put into practice, or as A. Yurchak put it: “Everything was forever, until it was no more.”

There is only one way to heal this soaring national wound: a rebirth of democracy by the rebirth of sortition.