INSPIRATION FOR CHANGE

In the introduction to Common Sense(the third addition) a pamphlet credited with being the most important written call for challenging King George’s right to rule the American Colonies and the formation of the United States as an independent democratic nation,

Thomas Pain wrote:

“Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not YET sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favor; a long habit of not thinking a thing WRONG, gives it a superficial appearance of being RIGHT, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.”  (Capitalization as originally published.)

Many do not think things fundamentally WRONG with our system of voting therefore they think it RIGHT or that it can be fixed with modest improvements. Likewise, some believed fixing the problems of dictatorial government by King George required only modest changes. For example: the Colonies might be granted representation in the British Government; or King George might be persuaded to be more kindly disposed to the interests of the Colonies. If our founders lacked the courage to consider and make a more significant departure from the status quo, we would still be a British colony. Like a nation's formation, its advancement requires change.

Democracy evolved to achieve its present form. First, there was Pure or Direct Democracy, here called First Stage Democracy, where every individual may vote on every issue. With larger government and more complex issues the time and inefficiency of this quickly grew too grate to bear. "A new kind of election, was the correction" (From Tribunocracy- The Poem). A change in the voting process whereby individual citizens exercise self government through delegation of authority was invented. This is Representative Democracy, or: Second Stage Democracy. In Representative Democracy, voters elect the government officers they believe will best represent them. Because: "Voter's can vote them out, they retain some clout", (From Tribunocracy- The Poem)

Tribunocracy reduces many problems with the present voting system, while increasing democratic citizen control exercised through voting. Tribunocracy employs Tribunes randomly selected from the pool of potential voters who would otherwise be eligible to vote. The selected Tribunes convene to participate in a public Tribunal Convention. The Tribunes vote only after they have attended and participated in the full process. They vote on the same candidates, or issues, that would otherwise have been voted on in a mass pubic election. Tribunocracy makes no other changes in the existing system of government. Tribunes like jurors in a trial are dismissed after they vote and retain no power or privilege.

The existence of poverty, illiteracy, disease, exploitation, subjugation, waste, environmental damage and depletion, are all reasons why we should not stop the train of progress at its present station. The goal of Tribunocracy is to improve Democracy and achieve more of what makes modern democracy desirable.

John Kennedy, had a vision of a world where: “... the strong become stronger by helping the week.”

Lyndon Johnson spoke of ending poverty and hunger in the US.

Ronald Reagan spoke of: “…a shining city on the hill.”

Gene Roddenberry in Star Trek, and Paul McCartney in song, imagined a world were human society had solved many of its old problems.

Martin Luther King, had a dream of a better world, and said: “men of good will….must demand for society to change” and “…work towards a better tomorrow should not be forsaken because of today's realities.”

 There are always walls in the way of progress.  Some think these walls are unbreakable and we must reconcile ourselves to forever live within them.

Ronald Reagan, stood in sight of a wall, and called for Gorbachev (then the leader of the Soviet Union) to: "Tear down this wall." Two years later, the Berlin Wall was torn down.

To fulfill the dream of a better world we must change and demand change.

Over fifty years ago John Kennedy said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”.

Today we need to: Ask not what your government can do better, but what you can do to make it better.