US Supreme Court Appointment Farce

Not a comment on the pending appointment of another Judge. The procedure itself is highly defective. A waver-thin majority in one of the two chambers of Parliament should not be able to push through a candidate. For critical appointments there should be a mandatory quorum of at least 60 or 66 percent, maybe even 75 percent so that opposing political groupings have to come to a compromise.
Individual judges should also be forced to resign within a reasonable time period so as to avoid that relatively young appointees cannot stay 40 years or longer in office.

Supreme Court Nomination Circus

Do not know what happened decades ago but the problem with the US Supreme Court is that judges are unelected and only an expression of the preferences of a small number of politicians. At least their terms should be limited so that a healthy rotation is possible.

Iran Blackmail - Polititicans useless

Pressure on 'Europe'? Who speaks for this fictional country that is just a geographical term.
The blatant blackmail by the USA under Trump demonstrates that 'representative' democracy is unable to give citizens a voice. Our Politicians are meek, stupid or complicit with this effort to achieve world domination. Would a proper referendum and the observance of due legal process allow this state of affairs?
Direct Democracy exists exactly for that reason - to avoid shady backroom deals by weak politicians.
President Trump Is Putting Huge Pressure on Europe to Reinstate Sanctions on Iran

Harvard Admission Process: Discrimination?

The 99% have no chance. When a bulwark of the Establisment shies away from transparency the 1% have an open goal in their endeavour to preserve their priviledges. The ONLY objective admission process is via competition. No special favours to donors and former students.
Harvard University is fighting to keep its secretive admissions process under wraps

Why does the USA get away with blackmailing the rest of the World?

Answer: lacklustre politicians that do not have the interests of their citizens at heart. They don't want to rock the boat or are at worst clueless, if not stupid. Stopping the US from applying their 'laws' ex-territorially would be easy - all one would have to do is hit the US hard where it hurts, its banks, Internet and media oligopolies. One would be surprised how fast this boycott spook would be over. A system of Direct Democracy would not allow the ruling political caste to get away so easily.

Concerned about Democracy?

Then what do you make of these two headlines?

senate-passes-military-funding-bill-that-would-reimpose-sanctions-on-chinese-telecom-zte.html

Linking legislation in this manner is blatant manipulation, should also be subject to full scrutiny by citizens

trump-told-apple-ceo-iphones-will-be-spared-from-china-tariffs-report.html

Cosy special deals on an arbitrary basis usually is the trademark of dictatorships. All communication of politicians with outside parties, esp lobbies, should be published in full. Not just the list of appointments.

Everyday Fascism

So this is the land of the Free?
Zerohedge

Is Donald Trump a 'Moron'?

As there probably was not hidden camera to tell us whether or not Rex Tillerson said that Trump is a moron we will never know the truth. But is the behaviour worth of a President of the USA?
Marketwatch

Constitution in time of Plutocrats and Celebrity Politics

Direct Democracy would help to alleviate the worst problems associated with growing Inequality and the Celebrity culture (promoted by the very few plutocrats who control our media). More rigorous control of terms, dispersing power away from single individuals (see Ancient Rome with two Consuls, or Switzerland with a collegium of ministers instead of a President) would be additional safeguards.
New York Times: Our Constitution wasn't built for this

Direct Democray will hold Lobbies at bay

Plutocrats control the Government in the United States, separation of powers goes not far enough, the history since independence is scandal-ridden despite the near-religious status of the Constitution. Direct Democracy on all levels, esp the top, will improve matters.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/08/28/carl-icahns-failed-raid-on-washington

Top Philanthropists Wield Power Through Their Donations

While the abuse of tax subsidies for "charitable" donations is most extreme in the USA this pernicious favoring of the wealthy is slowly finding its way into other 'Pseudo' Democracies. Let the 0.1% be charitable, by all means, but do not give them favorable tax treatment in return. And posing as benefactors also gives them special access to politicians and allows them undue influence on political decisions.
Wealth Matters: How Top Philanthropists Wield Power Through Their Donations

Money has too much influence in Politics

The USA are an extreme illustration for the undue influence the Rich can have by deploying her money. The borderline between lobbying and bribery is a narrow one. Direct Democracy as a useful antidote - not 100 per cent perfect either but better than the present morass.

Koch brothers spend millions to stop Trump health care bill

Unelected, Unaccountable lobbies disguised as 'Think Tanks', 'Institutes'

A particularly virulent form of lobby gets disproportionate attention in the USA political scene. As the ordinary voter is basically disenfranchised and cut off from formulation of politics (forget the crude and blunt instruments that are supposed to be 'democratic' elections) the Politocracy and the hangers-on among the Media are free to cook up crazy and irresponsible policies such as the Iraq war, inciting 'rebellion' in Syria (thank you CIA, another wonderful mess).
The Kagans Are Back; Wars To Follow | Zero Hedge

Supreme Court Appointments - USA

Does it make sense to give life-time appointments to Judges? To keep them independent it would be enough to appoint them for a 10 year term, not renewable so there is no posturing to get re-appointed.
The Real Reason to Watch the Gorsuch Hearings

Think Tanks - Direct Democracy needed to dilute their influence

Like them or not, Think Tanks have sprouted all over the world and they have preferential access to policy makers in most states. Often they are actually sponsored by taxpayer-funded political parties as is the case in Germany and Austria. But making all legislation subject to the ultimate say-so of the electorate would go a long way to dilute the influence of unelected Think Tanks.

How Think Tanks Amplify Corporate America’s Influence (NY Times)

Facebook meddling with Media Content

It is about time that the dominating Internet Portals such as Facebook and Google are brought under democratic control. When providers have a dominant market share the Competition and Monopolies regulators should not be fobbed off with spurious arguments such as 'we must not interfere with new technologies, ie stand in the way of progress etc'. What applied to Rockefeller's Standard Oil in the early 1900s must apply to the Internet Barons today. When the providers start tinkering with the flow of news and information alarm bells should start ringing in the sleepy offices of the regulators and legislative assemblies. Naturally, the USA will not be too keen as most providers are based there but a confrontation with the lobby-infested corridors of power in Washington can not longer be avoided.

Facebook cracks down on clickbait

Gold-plated Pensions the Politicians award themselves

Egregious abuse - this example from the USA

How Contress Retirement Pay Compares to the Overall Average

10 outrageously pricey tax breaks 'gifted' by Congress (The Fiscal Times)
 Dysfunctional Parliaments in grip of Lobbies, Special Interests

How low can Democracy sink?

Digging up dirt on opposition becomes a business in the 'Land of the Free'.
New Players flood into Opposition Research (Wall Street Journal)

I would have been a better President

Says the defeated 2012 Republican Candidate Mitt Romney. That may or may not have been the case. But this statement demonstrates that to give individuals - may they be called President, Prime Minister of Chancellor - too much discretionary power and for too long a period is contrary to the principle of democracy. Democracy after all means 'Rule of the People' [The term originates from the Greek δημοκρατία (dēmokratía) "rule of the people"]