Holden Karre,

My opinion of what I've read of your posts on this subject so far is this:

You advocate direct democracy - each individual getting a vote in electing our leaders. That sounds fine and wonderfully egalitarian, but I disagree. You point to the number of registered voters who didn't vote as a problem. This suprises me as you come across as a thinker. (If voting could change anything, it would have been outlawed long ago.) What do you think would have happened if all registered voters had voted in the last several elections? When the electorate at large is indoctrinated into believing that the choice is only between the two parties' anointed candidates, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, both of whom are bought-and-paid-for fascist statists, the difference would be completely inconsequential. Do you believe we would be any better off or safer or less involved globally if McCain had defeated Obama, or if Gore or Kerry had defeated Bush II, or if Dole had defeated Clinton? Are you aware that the top 10 contributors to both McCain's and Obama's presidential campaigns are the same corporate entities (although in differing amounts)?

While this may be unpopular, I want to return to the idea that the only people who are allowed to vote for elected leaders are people who own land. People who own land have something key to lose that non-landowners don't. Try selling redistribution of wealth, in the form of property, to land owners. Try selling the idea of property taxes to landowners.

That said, I'm concerned by the lack of cordiality and downright accusations and character assassination being flung simply because some disagree in whole or in part with what Holden Karre is suggesting. Are we not free to discuss ideas here? Are we not able to toss ideas back and forth without slander? Do we castigate and ostracize and insult people on this board who inject different (fresh?) ways of looking at problems into our conciousness? What ever happened to the idea that we may not agree with what someone says but we understand the importance of defending their right to say it?

Holden Karre, I strongly disagree with your suggestion that things would be better or improve if only we could get the non-voting populace to vote. But I'd like to see you stick around here. Heck, I didn't agree with airforce for a long time about the drug war, but in back-and-forth discussions on this board, I came to see things his way. Similarly with anarcho-capitalism, although that has taken me longer to see.

I don't pretend to have all the answers, and I hope you, like many on this board, are humble enough to discuss these important matters with an open mind, understanding that if you "lose" a friendly or even a heated debate, you win because you gain greater understanding.

Peace to all.

Edited to add:

I would like to apologize in advance for stepping on toes. I just hate to see good discussion suffocated.