Patroklus wrote [quote:3mtllc6y]You misunderstand the proposal. We already have 'government by committee', it's called the Representative Assembly .
This proposal seeks to capitalise on the largely positive experience we have had with the Sim Planning Committee. The RA took a decision to set up the SPC, give it a specific remit, and then left it to get on with it while giving regular report backs to the RA. This has worked well, we think this could be a good way to involve our citizens in a more active fashion on other issues too. The RA, as the legislative body, decides when and on what topics it wants to do this and accountability is assured by the requirement to report back at each meeting.
Committees are necessary in the cases you suggest and also when the RA wants to devolve responsibility for working out all the details of a complex project (e.g. setting up a new sim) within a framework they provide and for involving more of our citizens in delivery of public goods for the CDS. Surely the RA should have the option to do this?[/quote:3mtllc6y]
First, I don't think that government of the RA is government by committee. The legislature, even if small enough to look like a RL committee, is still an institution of general purpose and, therefore, not a committee. Committees have a limited portfolio; legislatures do not. This is one of their principle distinctions.
I am persuaded that forming committees for certain purposes is a wise and appropriate action of the RA. However, I think that we should avoid legislation that requires us to form committees for everything. We should assess the wisdom of committee formation on a case-by-case basis -- as the RA has done, and done well, in the past. Thus, we should form ad hoc committees, rather than standing committess, when appropriate.
However, it seems that I am the lone voice of dissent here. If the will and common instinct of the citizenry of the CDS favors government by committee, so be it. Even though I find such government godawful, I have enough experience with it to know that it is not insane or unworkable, and that such citizen committees would serve Moon's laudible purpose of involving citizens in government without limiting that service to office-holders.
More generally, Moon's proposal is based on a good and well-meant desire to include the citizens in government more generally. I applaud this effort. It is a good and worthy one -- and one that the Simplicity Party is particularly committed to. Please note that my objection is to the proposed mechanism, not to the goal.
Beathan
Let's keep things simple enough to be fair, substantive enough to be effective, and insightful enough to be good.
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