News


  • Direct Balloting Can’t Be a Panacea for Democracy’s Ills
  • I have studied direct democracy for years, but I was still unprepared to encounter at a conference last year the anger and alienation of American activists who rely heavily on California’s initiative and referendum process. They loved direct democracy, as I would have expected, but what shocked me was that this love stemmed from their total disenchantment with the institutions of representative democracy. This worried me. This worried me a lot. Read the Rest...

  • Us Now
  • A film project about the power of mass collaboration, government and the Internet. In his student flat in Colchester, Jack Howe is staring intently into his computer screen. He is picking the team for Ebbsfleet United’s FA Trophy Semi-Final match against Aldershot. Around the world 35,000 other fans are doing the same thing, because together, they own and manage the football club. If distributed networks of people can run complex organisations such as football clubs, what else can they do? Read the Rest...

  • Lifting the Veil
  • This film explores the historical role of the Democratic Party as the graveyard of social movements, the massive influence of corporate finance in elections, the absurd disparities of wealth in the United States, the continuity and escalation of neocon policies under Obama, the insufficiency of mere voting as a path to reform, and differing conceptions of democracy itself. Read the Rest...

  • Maine Voices: People’s veto a valuable constitutional method of empowering voters
  •   ORONO — On May 18, Press Herald columnist Greg Kesich, in referring to the possible attempt to utilize the referendum process to veto the recently enacted health reform law, offered a column headlined "Mainers should just say 'no' to people's veto."     Read the Rest...

  • Lessons for Europe from the British referendum
  • RICHARD LAMING Today @ 09:18 CET EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - The dust is now settling after the referendum in the UK earlier this month on changing the electoral system. The result, on a 41 percent turnout, was 68 percent in favour of keeping the existing system, and only 32 percent in favour of change. This is only second national referendum in British history, and there are lessons for everybody, both in the UK and in the rest of Europe. Read the Rest...

  • California’s cover story
  • By: K. Lloyd Billingsley 05/15/11 9:00 PM Special to The Examiner Read the Rest...

  • Government must involve the people
  • The elections of fall 2010 have long been over, and the new members of Congress have been in their seats since January. Nevertheless, it still appears that there are openly hostile relations between various members of Congress and the two political parties as a whole. This comes at the expense of the great citizens of this fine country, who want and need to be more involved with the decision making of our nation, above and beyond merely voting for those who will make all of the decisions, which is very little power indeed. Read the Rest...

  • Thinking Outside the Box: A Response to Economist Magazine’s Report on Democracy in California
  • Thinking Outside the Box: A Response to Economist Magazine’s Report on Democracy in California By Mike Gravel Read the Rest...

  • Direct Democracy
  • Direct Democracy By Molly Schoemann and Howard Megdal MOLLY SCHOEMANN: Now that we’ve reached the point where millions of Americans can make their voices heard when it comes to which American Idol they prefer, what’s stopping us from taking this a few steps further, and allowing us to vote individually on more important issues? Read the Rest...

  • Officials argue, ignore people’s voice
  • The elections of fall 2010 are over, and the new members of Congress have been in their seats since January. However, it still appears that there are openly hostile relations between various members of Congress and the two political parties as a whole. This comes at the expense of the great citizens of this fine nation, above and beyond merely voting for those who will make all of the decisions, which is very little power indeed. Read the Rest...