An Article V Convention

[Steven Moyer]

References:

http://metamind.us/cc

http://synergynation.net

http://foavc.org

I just got off the phone with John DeHerrera discussing his plan for a "virtual convention" where "delegates" would pay $10/month to 

participate.  He failed to see how this violated the spirit of democracy and was a "classist" proposal.  I reject his proposal.

We do not charge people to participate in democracy.  Everyone needs to be on the same footing, not two classes of participants, those who pay money to participate and those who do not.  Everyone needs to be treated the same and given the same ability to participate in whatever kind of convention is created, virtual or otherwise.

The positive side of the conversation was the realization I had that we need to get ONE State to create convention software.

Once it is created, along with a method for verification of each participant's identity as a registered voter, then it will be a fair play.

Nobody should receive special consideration because they paid money. Nobody should be prevented from participating because they can't afford the participation fee.  That's a scam and I shall continue to oppose any endeavor, such as John's, which calls for people to pay money to a private organization.  The State government should fund it as a service to enhance our democracy and make a better government.  Once our legislators know what we support, they will have an incentive to "make it so."  

We need a place to discuss the Constitution.  The issue of "property rights" is before us now.  BP is stating that it does not need to reveal the formulas for the chemical dispersants being dumped on OUR OCEAN in the Gulf of Mexico.  They claim it is "proprietary" and therefore secret. That's wrong!  This nation was founded on the principle that one man could OWN another as property.  That was wrong.   This nation was founded on the "rule of property" rather than on respect for human rights.

I suggest that we could start this initiative in any State but my home state of Vermont is the best State because we have one of the LEAST corrupt governments.  John was asserting that we had to do it in the private sector because according to him ALL the State governments are corrupt.  Let's start with a State that is less corrupt than most --- Vermont.

It's time to create an Internet Democracy where people can make proposals and endorse each other's proposals.  I have been saying this since my campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2006.  It is still a good idea and more necessary now than ever.  It is the "consent of the governed" which is required for good government.  The more consent the better.  If we need to amend the Constitution we need the consent of 3/4 of the State legislatures.  That's a high level of consent.  We have our work set out of us.

I believe we need to do this through one or more State governments.  It could be done by an act of the legislature or it could be done as a project of the Secretary of State who is charged with managing the infrastructure of elections.  Once the software is developed, it can be put into the public domain for all States to use.   This is a reasonable path to a convention, one State at a time.

In 2006 I put the entire voter registration database online.  ( http://vdn.nodes.net - Username: Demo Account  Password: peace )

It was a start.  It was the first time this had been done for any State in the union.  I'm asking your support to help take it to the next level.  This is a proposal for what I call the "Synergy Nation."    ( http://synergynation.net )  Please watch the PowerPoint presentation.

If you wish to support this initiative you can do so in many ways.  I need programming help.  I need an office. I need a cell phone.

I need a laptop computer. I need a salary.  If you want to make a donation, please go to http://donate.nodes.net or send me 

an email :  st...@nodes.net

I'm open to your suggestions.

Thank you,

Steve Moyer

SKYPE: stevenkentmoyer

--
"Consume less and share more."

Think virtue.  Teach virtue.  Live virtue

Steve Moyer
http://stevemoyer.us  
http://synergynation.net
http://nodes.net  ( NODES Network )

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(='.'=)  
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[Steven Moyer]

Thank you very much, Dave.  This means a lot to me.  Good luck.  AZ needs you.

Steve

P.S.

Here is a fragment comment from me on a discussion of Noam Chomsky's latest speech.
The thread can be found on my Facebook page at http://facebook.com/metamind

Reference for this thread is:

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/5/31/noam_chomsky_the_center_cannot_hold

--------   my comment follows  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Noam is good for something. He explains our situation in terms of the dominant paradigm ... money. But he doesn't go deep enough into the problem for me. Krishnamurti said "the solution is IN the problem." That's true. But Noam doesn't really have a solution because he doesn't really examine the problem deeply enough.

The problem with monetary economics is that it is always about numbers. Numbers are always abstract and therefore our economic thinking is always abstract. When we enter into the abstract mind to govern human affairs it is easy to do evil. The problem is that we have made QUANTITY more important than QUALITY.

Imagine if every economic transaction was in the open. I could find out how you earn your money and you could find out how I earn mine. I could find out what you spend it on and you could find out what I spent it on. Now imagine that we could enter QUALITY information for any economic transaction, such as how SATISFIED we were with it. That would be QUALITY information attached to QUANTITY information. It would produce entirely different results.

I'm a computer consultant. I would want everyone who I served in my business to give me SATISFACTORY ratings. It would be important for me to be virtuous in my dealings with others. In the current money system I could rip people off because ONLY MONEY MATTERS. It's all about quantity.

There are, of course, other fundamental problems with the money system. One of these is the capacity to "MAKE MONEY WITH MONEY" which is highly immoral. You aren't creating anything of value for anyone but you are receiving value ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAVE MONEY! That's the basis of tyranny, the "tyranny of money."

If we rely on government to enforce morality in the marketplace, in all economic transactions, then we are making a bigger government. That's going in the wrong direction. If we had a virtuous economy we wouldn't need any government at all .... eventually ... because it would constantly be teaching us VIRTUE. That would make a better society.

We need to put QUALITY ( virtue ) in the driver's seat.
Right now QUANTITY ( power ) is in the driver's seat.

This is the paradigm shift we need. Talking about corporations or disparity of wealth is the wrong focus. Corporations are a natural outgrowth of a GOVERNMENT-run economic system. We need a PEOPLE-run economic system where people reward each other for virtuous behavior.

We could start by publishing all income tax returns on the Internet. Finland already does this. Imagine what a difference it would make if you knew how much UNearned income ( stocks and bonds ) your neighbors had last year.

Openness is key.

On Fri, May 28, 2010 at 3:52 PM, Dave Ewoldt <da...@reststop.net> wrote:

On 28 May 2010 at 14:35, Steven Moyer wrote:

> We do not charge people to participate in democracy.  Everyone needs to be
> on the same footing, not two classes of participants, those who pay money to
> participate and those who do not.  Everyone needs to be treated the same and
> given the same ability to participate in whatever kind of convention is created,
> virtual or otherwise.

Hi Steven... I agree. Please keep me in the loop on this. I don't have much time
currently to participate, but I am running for AZ State Senate as an Independent. My
core platform is relocalization, using the core principles of natural systems, steady-
state economics, and an ecologically strong and legally defensible definition of
sustainability to take on the growth lobby.

Since we're running out of water and destroying the desert here in Arizona merely to
benefit the few, this platform is resonating with people across the political spectrum.
If I manage to get elected, your plan is something I'd be more than willing to
introduce.


For the Earth...
_dave_(this entire message is composed of recycled electrons)
Natural Systems Solutions
http://www.attractionretreat.org
http://naturalsystems.blogspot.com
Sustainable lifestyles, organizations, and communities


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