
Hack money out of politics: Democracy Hackathon (March 29-30 San Francisco)  - aaronlifshin
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/hack-for-democracy-registration-10711042015
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dmix
The amount of influence money has on the state is directly proportional to the
amount of control the state has on the economy and justice system. Money in
politics wouldn't nearly matter as much if the government didn't apply heavy-
handed control to every market and courtroom around the country.

As long as power is centralized into a few politicians hands, there will
always be a massive concerted effort to buy that power.

Everyone who champions for more state-intervention, this is the natural side-
effect you'll have to live with. Welcome to your unintended creation.
Transparency is the only possibly counter-balance I could see helping the
situation, but I don't see any level of transparency being added to gov
operations. The trend has been in quite the opposite direction.

~~~
cafard
What justice system do you envision outside the state?

~~~
dmix
It doesn't have to exist outside of the state:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night-
watchman_state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night-watchman_state)

Whereas currently 86% of people in federal jail are there for victimless
crimes:

[http://www.policymic.com/articles/8558/why-we-need-prison-
re...](http://www.policymic.com/articles/8558/why-we-need-prison-reform-
victimless-crimes-are-86-of-the-federal-prison-population)

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InclinedPlane
The problem isn't "money in politics". The problem is that the political
process is too shallow, so much so that ordinary advertising can swing results
often. And that is due to the electorate and the media. If you try to force
money out of elections then you don't solve the underlying problems and you
end up just moving corruption around, the money ends up less direct and harder
to trace. Nobody wins and we end up bacck where we started.

~~~
aaronlifshin
Some media reform and education reform can be imagined that would help with
this problem. However, no such reform can actually be enacted while our
lawmakers are dependent on their funders instead of common sense or the wishes
of the people.

~~~
InclinedPlane
I think that sentiment stems from the idea that law shapes society rather than
society shaping the law. The reason the media is the way it is today has more
to do with societal and cultural norms than with the law. It can, and should,
be changed not through laws but through society.

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aaronlifshin
Hey all, unfortunately (but also fortunately), we are full up to capacity for
this event. Please contact me if you are interested in other ways you can
support teamdemocracy.us, or have a fantastic idea you want to hack on. My
gmail is my username here.

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vezzy-fnord
What happens when things go the other way around:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacking_Democracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacking_Democracy)

~~~
aaronlifshin
The threat to democracy from closed electronic voting systems is well
documented. But why do these systems get put in place? Could it have some
connection with political donations by companies that manufacture the
machines, such as Diebold?

Our political system cannot reach unbiased, good decisions about what types of
voting systems to implement if it's being swayed by big donors.

We have to hack to get money out of politics, so that our politics don't get
hacked!

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technologue
Since this board is full of logical people (programmers), I'm curious to know
why any of them think that a system based on tyranny of the majority would
increase freedom for people?

Also, I'm really curious what sort of things you all think you can "hack" that
will really make people more free. After this, will the NSA be gone? How about
the entire military industrial complex and all it's mouthpieces on tv and in
Congress? What about the drug war and the power of big pharma? Diebold?
Dynasty families like the Bush's and Clintons? Etc Etc Etc.

If any of you were serious about freedom you would be figuring out how to hire
lawyers, not coders. A better voting app is just an easier way for my
representatives to give me false choices.

~~~
aaronlifshin
Tyranny of the majority is still better than any other system humanity has so
far come up with.

Some of the suggested hacks are listed at the link. They will not, by
themselves, get rid of the NSA, but they are reasonable steps that the anti-
corruption movement can take at this time to raise awareness and build
momentum.

You can join in and start working on the BIG problems you listed, or you can
say this cannot be done and do your own idea which seems to be about hiring
lawyers.

