Re: Councilman Johnson's Departure

[Bob Hoffmann <escape@alt-escape.com>]

At 09:44 AM 11/24/1999 -0800, Steve Busch wrote:
>In my opinion, it would be best if the Mayor nominates someone that would 
>be unanimously approved by the Council.  The Council needs to work as a team.

Ra, Team!

But I'd like to propose a different model of representative democracy, and 
that is the Dialectic.  On a Team, all members are working towards the same 
goal.  That can be a dangerous mode of government, because what if the Team 
is driving towards the wrong goal?  In the Dialectic model, members of 
government might be driving towards different goals, but the need to 
compromise, in order to reach some sort of solution, often results in an 
action that is much closer to the overall will of the public (the 
"constituents") than the team mentality.

Furthermore, the Team model is in no way the model of American 
democracy.  If that were so, we would tend more towards a parliamentary 
system.  Nothing against parliaments (I actually wish we had such a system 
in place), but that's not what we have, so I think it is out of place for 
anyone to advocate a Team approach to government on these shores (unless 
that person rewrites the Constitution).  In America, the Team is a 
euphemism for the "Good Ol' Boys."

I can't say I know much about Ament, but I agree that, given he was the 
"runner up" candidate in the last election, Mr. Comstock would do well to 
appoint him.  And council would do well, unanimously or not, to approve him.

Dialectically yours,


Bob Hoffmann
229 East C St., Suite B
Moscow, ID  83843  USA
Phone: (208) 883-0642
Fax: 1-800-683-3799
http://www.alt-escape.com