Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Wednesday, September 12. 2012

QQQ

"It is not in the nature of politics that the best men should be elected. The best men do not want to govern their fellowmen."


George MacDonald (H/t Vanderleun)

Posted by Bird Dog in Quotidian Quotable Quote (QQQ) at 17:51 | Comments (5) | Trackbacks (0)

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The libertarians have the right idea on this. Don't seek to elect the best people you can find - seek to give all of them less power.
#1 Assistant VIllage Idiot (Link) on 2012-09-12 21:41 (Reply)
Isn't that we have a written Constitution with limited powers instead of a king? The founding fathers were on to something.
#2 grant1863 on 2012-09-12 23:12 (Reply)
The implication is that desire for power should disqualify the having of power.

Solution, all pols to be drafted against their druthers.
#3 buddy larsen on 2012-09-13 14:58 (Reply)
Sortition was once a respectable form of election in the American Colonies.

There are real risks, but real benefits as well.
#3.1 Assistant VIllage Idiot (Link) on 2012-09-13 21:08 (Reply)
If it has a name and a history, it can be mustered and rallied! The status quo reminds of that ols story about the two coon hunters who thought they had treed a coon. It's night and they can't see, so one of 'em climbs up in the tree to chase down the coon.

But it's a bobcat, and it jumps the feller and up in the branches commences a big spittin' & screaming fight.

The treed hunter starts yelling ''SHOOT 'im! SHOOT 'im!"

The ground guy aims upwards and starts waving his gunbarrel and hollering back, ''I can't tell which o' y'all is WHICH!''

The treed hunter screams back ''fer CHRISSAKE just shoot up here AMONGST us --ONE of us's GOT to get some RELIEF!''
#3.1.1 buddy larsen on 2012-09-14 04:10 (Reply)

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