Comments on: We’ve Reached the Limits of Partisan Politics

By: Sandy Slobodian

Sandy Slobodian — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 03:40:30 +0000

Dear Misha: Is it partisan to express dissent over the funding of a genocide? Is it partisan to stand with people who are oppressed and demonized? Is it enough to believe that we are one family then to stand silently while one’s government bombs a country pre-emptively? Is it right to know that one’s tax dollars are sending weapons of destruction to be used against a whole society of people and to stay nothing? Or, to stand by while those that speak out in support of human rights are demonized, sanctioned and accused of racism and prejudice. These are questions I cannot answer and to offer my prayers for their suffering at the hands of our governments that, by my estimation, are not just.

By: Frederick Starr

Frederick Starr — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 03:09:05 +0000

So what kind of political system would you want instead of what we have currently? I would rather put up with the messy partisanship of a democracy then the coerced “unity” of a dictatorship. Are the Baha’is of China allowed to have an open national convention, and to express their views in public?

By: Wendy Scott

Wendy Scott — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 20:44:16 +0000

In reply to Stephen Gray. Interestingly, no country on earth has ever used a libertarian "system," if you can call it that, to govern its populace.

By: md v

md v — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 18:06:39 +0000

The first step begins with this insight: „The world is not a problem to be solved—it is a living being to which we belong.“~ (Llevelyn Vaughan-Lee, Spiritual Ecology: The Cry of Earth)

By: Stephen Gray

Stephen Gray — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 00:21:06 +0000

Last section on civics. Minarchy/Minarchism: A minimal hierarchy—e.g. sometimes said to include Eco-anarchism. Libertarianism: A philosophy based on the premise that all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and that personal and economic freedom should be maximized as much as possible without Government intervening in personal and business matters. The purpose of Government would only exist to protect and defend the freedom of the people. Another term would be Constitutionalism set forth by The United States Constitution and the United States Bill of Rights. The people would live through Voluntary association through the Free market, This is commonly known as Limited government. Not to be confused with Anarchism.

By: Stephen Gray

Stephen Gray — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 00:16:52 +0000

More civics here. Constitutional monarchy: A monarch, possibly purely symbolic and devoted to moral example, avoiding vesting such popularity in any less trustworthy political figure—typically tied to at least some deliberative institutions, and making the monarch a tiebreaker or mediator or coach. Direct democracy: Decisions made directly by the people without guidance or moral suasion, usually relying on multiple choices laid out by experts. Deliberative democracy: Decisions made by locally grouped citizens obligated to participate in consensus decision making process. America is a constitutional republic with representative democracy, but I felt the previous comment was too Amero-centric and on similar countries. So I added some systems.

By: Stephen Gray

Stephen Gray — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 00:13:25 +0000

Civics education is an important thing regardless of the system one live in. Constitutional republic is a state in which the head of state and other officials are representatives of the people. They must govern to existing constitution. In a constitutional republic, executive, legislative, and judicial powers can be separated into distinct branches. Representative democracy: A political class of elected representatives is trusted to carry out duties for the electors – these may be responsible to any group in society, or none, once elected. Given the above, and that people have widely different beliefs and perspectives, getting rid of parties will be distrusted by everyone as a power grab by the other side to destroy opposition agenda wise.

By: Chris Cobb

Chris Cobb — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 20:10:47 +0000

Fantastic article. The main problem with abandoning partisan politics, in wider western society, as I see it is it seems to be the most coherent way to different groups with contrasting ideas and interests to engage with each other. Sure its not utopian and it definitely causes social disunity but the truth is the parties have incompatible ideologies and goals so antagonism is kind of inevitable.

By: Melanie Black

Melanie Black — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 17:58:42 +0000

Hi Misha, I, of course, agree with you. I hope you’ll write soon about how we are to get from here to there, because, from my limited view of reality, I don’t know how that’s going to happen. I only have faith that God has a plan, but human beings need to carry out the will of God. Thank you for your contribution to this complex issue.