Comments on: Is America tipping toward a British system of government? http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/06/01/is-america-tipping-toward-a-british-system-of-government/ Thu, 23 May 2013 14:58:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: advocatusdiabol http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/06/01/is-america-tipping-toward-a-british-system-of-government/comment-page-1/#comment-45763 advocatusdiabol Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:56:12 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/?p=12960#comment-45763 One half of the British legislative branch owns their seats by divine right not election. the UK is not a democracy, it has a large vestige of the monarchy still in power. One half of the British legislative branch owns their seats by divine right not election. the UK is not a democracy, it has a large vestige of the monarchy still in power.

]]> By: advocatusdiabol http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/06/01/is-america-tipping-toward-a-british-system-of-government/comment-page-1/#comment-45762 advocatusdiabol Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:56:08 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/?p=12960#comment-45762 One half of the British legislative branch owns their seats by divine right not election. the UK is not a democracy, it has a large vestige of the monarchy still in power. One half of the British legislative branch owns their seats by divine right not election. the UK is not a democracy, it has a large vestige of the monarchy still in power.

]]> By: act1 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/06/01/is-america-tipping-toward-a-british-system-of-government/comment-page-1/#comment-45759 act1 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 14:01:22 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/?p=12960#comment-45759 This article is right on! Whoever supplies the money, rules. The swarms of highly paid lobbyists, SuperPacs, major contributors continue to affect our lives, often in negative ways. In Texas, for example, the legislature shows itself in the pockets of insurance companies just by the fact that, in personal injury cases, no one -- not the plaintive, defendant or their attorneys -- may say the word "insured". To do so results in the case's dismissal. The jury is not to know insurance is involved lest it might award a substantially higher amount of money. This article is right on! Whoever supplies the money, rules. The swarms of highly paid lobbyists, SuperPacs, major contributors continue to affect our lives, often in negative ways. In Texas, for example, the legislature shows itself in the pockets of insurance companies just by the fact that, in personal injury cases, no one — not the plaintive, defendant or their attorneys — may say the word “insured”. To do so results in the case’s dismissal. The jury is not to know insurance is involved lest it might award a substantially higher amount of money.

]]> By: act1 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/06/01/is-america-tipping-toward-a-british-system-of-government/comment-page-1/#comment-45758 act1 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 14:01:18 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/?p=12960#comment-45758 This article is right on! Whoever supplies the money, rules. The swarms of highly paid lobbyists, SuperPacs, major contributors continue to affect our lives, often in negative ways. In Texas, for example, the legislature shows itself in the pockets of insurance companies just by the fact that, in personal injury cases, no one -- not the plaintive, defendant or their attorneys -- may say the word "insured". To do so results in the case's dismissal. The jury is not to know insurance is involved lest it might award a substantially higher amount of money. This article is right on! Whoever supplies the money, rules. The swarms of highly paid lobbyists, SuperPacs, major contributors continue to affect our lives, often in negative ways. In Texas, for example, the legislature shows itself in the pockets of insurance companies just by the fact that, in personal injury cases, no one — not the plaintive, defendant or their attorneys — may say the word “insured”. To do so results in the case’s dismissal. The jury is not to know insurance is involved lest it might award a substantially higher amount of money.

]]> By: act1 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/06/01/is-america-tipping-toward-a-british-system-of-government/comment-page-1/#comment-45757 act1 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 14:01:15 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/?p=12960#comment-45757 This article is right on! Whoever supplies the money, rules. The swarms of highly paid lobbyists, SuperPacs, major contributors continue to affect our lives, often in negative ways. In Texas, for example, the legislature shows itself in the pockets of insurance companies just by the fact that, in personal injury cases, no one -- not the plaintive, defendant or their attorneys -- may say the word "insured". To do so results in the case's dismissal. The jury is not to know insurance is involved lest it might award a substantially higher amount of money. This article is right on! Whoever supplies the money, rules. The swarms of highly paid lobbyists, SuperPacs, major contributors continue to affect our lives, often in negative ways. In Texas, for example, the legislature shows itself in the pockets of insurance companies just by the fact that, in personal injury cases, no one — not the plaintive, defendant or their attorneys — may say the word “insured”. To do so results in the case’s dismissal. The jury is not to know insurance is involved lest it might award a substantially higher amount of money.

]]> By: ronmacdee http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/06/01/is-america-tipping-toward-a-british-system-of-government/comment-page-1/#comment-45735 ronmacdee Thu, 07 Jun 2012 09:24:13 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/?p=12960#comment-45735 To say that America's revolution and constitution owe anything to the French revolution is nonsense. The former preceded the latter. True, the American revolution succeeded largely due to the naval blockade imposed by the French on British colonial forces, a venture so ruinously expensive for the French it bankrupted their State and Monarchy. Ultimately, it was the American revolution that was a causal factor in the French revolution. To say that America’s revolution and constitution owe anything to the French revolution is nonsense. The former preceded the latter. True, the American revolution succeeded largely due to the naval blockade imposed by the French on British colonial forces, a venture so ruinously expensive for the French it bankrupted their State and Monarchy. Ultimately, it was the American revolution that was a causal factor in the French revolution.

]]> By: hmsvictory http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/06/01/is-america-tipping-toward-a-british-system-of-government/comment-page-1/#comment-45697 hmsvictory Wed, 06 Jun 2012 17:15:10 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/?p=12960#comment-45697 "Our republic was founded instead upon democratic principles born of the French Revolution." Correction: American revolution: 1775-1783. French Revolution: 1789-1799. We did not borrow from the French Revoution. “Our republic was founded instead upon democratic principles born of the French Revolution.” Correction: American revolution: 1775-1783. French Revolution: 1789-1799. We did not borrow from the French Revoution.

]]> By: usagadfly http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/06/01/is-america-tipping-toward-a-british-system-of-government/comment-page-1/#comment-45689 usagadfly Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:53:08 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/?p=12960#comment-45689 How about giving the human beings who live in the USA the right to vote as opposed to our current open auction which awards political power to the highest bidder? How about having politicians with real power instead of being the hired flunkies of the rich, both foreign and domestic, that we permit to bid for their positions? We need to shift electoral power from checkbooks to the common people, and to eliminate lifetime sinecures for judges at all levels. Those two factors have corrupted our system beyond recognition, and neither are Constitutional. Beyond that, our "two party" system, which in practice is a one party system, needs to move to a proportional representation system as opposed to a "winner take all" setup. "Winner take all" is yet another corrupting non-Constitutional addition to our system which is intended to corrupt real representation. Without these changes, we are moving more toward a Russian Tsarist type of "democracy", except that our Secret Police are much, much more efficient. We are moving toward Totalitarianism, not Monarchy. How about giving the human beings who live in the USA the right to vote as opposed to our current open auction which awards political power to the highest bidder? How about having politicians with real power instead of being the hired flunkies of the rich, both foreign and domestic, that we permit to bid for their positions?

We need to shift electoral power from checkbooks to the common people, and to eliminate lifetime sinecures for judges at all levels. Those two factors have corrupted our system beyond recognition, and neither are Constitutional.

Beyond that, our “two party” system, which in practice is a one party system, needs to move to a proportional representation system as opposed to a “winner take all” setup. “Winner take all” is yet another corrupting non-Constitutional addition to our system which is intended to corrupt real representation.

Without these changes, we are moving more toward a Russian Tsarist type of “democracy”, except that our Secret Police are much, much more efficient. We are moving toward Totalitarianism, not Monarchy.

]]> By: Jayhay http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/06/01/is-america-tipping-toward-a-british-system-of-government/comment-page-1/#comment-45651 Jayhay Tue, 05 Jun 2012 18:18:20 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/?p=12960#comment-45651 *By convention, I mean constitutional convention. Of course the revolution itself preceded the French one by at least a decade. *By convention, I mean constitutional convention. Of course the revolution itself preceded the French one by at least a decade.

]]> By: Jayhay http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/06/01/is-america-tipping-toward-a-british-system-of-government/comment-page-1/#comment-45650 Jayhay Tue, 05 Jun 2012 18:17:39 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/?p=12960#comment-45650 Our republic was not founded on principles born of the French Revolution. We explicitly repudiated indivisible sovereignty by having a separation of powers a la Montesquieu and Locke, while the French following Rousseau eventually sought an indivisibly powerful legislature. Our convention took place just under two years before the commencement of the French estates-general that would become revolutionary. There are multitudinous other differences between our revolutions that can be cited; perhaps instead you should have said that our republic was born out of some Enlightenment principles in common with the French revolution. Get your political history right. Our republic was not founded on principles born of the French Revolution. We explicitly repudiated indivisible sovereignty by having a separation of powers a la Montesquieu and Locke, while the French following Rousseau eventually sought an indivisibly powerful legislature. Our convention took place just under two years before the commencement of the French estates-general that would become revolutionary. There are multitudinous other differences between our revolutions that can be cited; perhaps instead you should have said that our republic was born out of some Enlightenment principles in common with the French revolution. Get your political history right.

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