(2005-03-02) Competing Models Of E Democracy

Jon Lebkowsky on differing models of changing Big Government to more Participative Democracy. One tries to improve Product Quality/Customer Service within a Consumer model, while the other is "richer".

Mitch Ratcliffe hates the former, but I'm not sure I agree with his reasoning. Instead of "we believe everyone should be educated (Educating Kids) to a level necessary to earn a living wage," this system says "there is no general consensus so we can take care of our kids' education on our own." Citizens become customers, but customers don't get to set the rules of the Market. Instead, they make the best deal they can given the offers available, and that has nothing to do with government and democracy. It's a social Darwinist environment in which the most influential participants (them that gots the money) set the rules of the game.

I wonder whether it would make sense to distinguish Local Government from national government in these discussions... (Federalism) or maybe it's about the realms of policy-making (e.g. filling potholes is different from Foreign Policy).