Senator Sanders

Governance With RCS: Senator Sanders:
 

The two parties we have known and loved are about gone.

It is time for a new party with planks and a platform, and active members we can be proud of.

We can attract citizens from all parties and from no party.  A big place for the Green Party within our fresh new party might be good.

We could ask everyone to help us find an appropriate new name.

We can do what we can for the next elections, but build a decade long teach-in for the effective citizenship of  a grand number of  fresh faces, minds, spirits, and hearts.

You have begun the great work of educating youth for citizenship, and it is wonderful work that will not be completed in our lifetime.

Thank you for your life of grand service past, present, and future.  




                                                                                                by Richard
 

Look at the Parties and Find Platforms

Governance With RCS: "A party|" sound to good to be true. Perhaps we can party enough to learn enough to change the nature of parties.

 Let's have a party:

                Or, let's have a platform. Or, let's have a plank. "A party" sounds most attractive, but I have reason to consider a plank first and we can find planks in platforms.

                The kind of plank I am considering is political. is the name given to fundamental parts of a political platform. Political party platforms are made  up of planks. This kind of plank does not come from a tree, but rather from the minds of men and women.  We can shape one, or more.

                We have some ideas about the nature of a political party.  Historically each person running for political office  usually had a platform much like the platform of his party. So we know that a platform is what a person running for office stood on. I Great Britain, I believe, stood for office rather than running for office as one does in the US. A platform was once more about what party stood for rather than stood on. A party and it's platform may be much about wants, interests, needs, desires, values, and even philosophy of citizens, the men and women of the nation.

So, parties had platforms. An important to those platforms were its planks.  Each plank was likely to represent a specific want, interest need, etc.

                Right now I a less interested in specific candidates, elections, or parties and am more interested in the specifics the platform they stand on. The specifics are best found in the planks.

                So, I am interested in platforms and the planks of those platforms, I am interested in specific planks and sets of planks one can stand on and for. 
 

                I want a solid plank I can work on and see implemented in our nation.  I am interested in a plank I can be proud to stand up for. I am interested in a plank which represents real and specific values and interests in an understandable and attractive way.

*******************************************************************

                First we form and find some great planks. With them we can make a great platform.  On that great platform can stand a great (new) party.  A party to be proud of.

                Heaven forbid that other parties should copy a plank of ours. ha, ha.

                We can also promote our favorite planks directly to citizens with never having a party except like ones to celebrate our success, our birthdays, and our favorite holidays. 

                Thanks for reading.

                Comment to us about the content of this post, whenever you like.




                                                                                   by Richard Sheehan

Citizenship?

 Governance With RCS:It seems that there is a lot to learn about this citizenship business; for US it is active citizenship and self governance.
            

                If someone asks me how I use my school district I might say, "I don't go to school? That ask me how other people use it and I might answer, "Your guess is as good as mine."

                If that same bothersome person asks me if I'm interested in water, I might say that I sometimes drink it and often bathe bathe in it. The person may ask me where my water comes from. I might answer, "doesn't come from the lake? He might ask me how I use my water district and I may say, "What's a water district? 

                If that same person ask me if I vote, I might say yes. If he asks me how I use my electoral district, I might say, "Huh?"

                If I ask you what your favorite planks are, how would you answer me?

                Are we good citizens? What kind of citizenship are we practicing? What's citizenship?

                Does our electoral district do things with our votes?

                Who's in charge here?

 

 

 

                                        RCS 

 

Test Questions:

1. What's the difference between a salamander and a gerrymander? 

2. What is it that is being gerrymandered?

3.What is the purpose of an electoral district?

4. What is proportional voting?

5. What is semi-proportional voting?

Place answers, additional info, questions related to content in the "comments" section below.

          

           

Why Can't a Third Partty Take Off?

A third party may be best at popularizing new planks and new platforms.
Third party members do gain office. However, their most important function may be to educate voters.
.

There Are Still Some Real democrats

Governance With RCS: There Are Still Some Real democrats: Why the little "d" in democrats?

                In the distant past there were democrats. In the recent past there were some democrats. And, there are still some democrats. A democrat might be thought of as one who believes in our ability to learn and to do. I know little about what those who call themselves democrats are doing now. I do have a sharp memory for much of that which democrats have done in the past.

                I hope you understand that I am not using the word “democrat” to refer to a member of a political party, but rather to one who holds a certain philosophical position. A Democrat can be a democrat, but she doesn’t have to.

                Democrats have tended to promote certain doings. Those doings have tended to be definitive of their beliefs.

Democrats have promoted:

~ improved communications within political organizations and among them.

~ enhancement and protection of democracy among us.

~ the study of legislation affecting democracy.

~ vigorous ongoing education about the use and doing of democracy.

~ development of widespread leadership rather than super-leaders.

~ enhanced education for participation in government.

~ cooperative self-governance.

~ willingness to thoughtfully and promptly change a bad law for the better.

~ strong respect for the law.

~exclusivity and diversity in public life.

~ cooperation within and among groups.

~ knowledge of the history of democracy, including its limitations and advantages.

~ respect for the varieties of democracy around the world.

~ our Constitution at its Bill or Rights.

~ loving care for each and every child.

~ respect and honor for the individual, the family, and the neighborhood.

~ more nearly equal opportunity for access to healthcare for each person.

~ strong support and oversight for our public health systems.

~respect and support for the position of minorities.

~ the practice of better dialogue.

~ wide, ongoing educational opportunities for all.

~ honesty.

This list can be greatly improved. However, there is already enough here to suggests planks for the platform of a present political party or candidate, or, a new party and candidates.

 

 

by Richard Sheehan