Democracy
By Dave Lewit, October 7, 2009Presented at Mass Coalition for Healthy Communities conference on Relocalization, October 18, 2009
Boston Tea Party• Bold action for
democracy. • Defying distant
corporate and government rule.
• Regional systems are already working
Corporate Personhood• Nowhere in the
Constitution are corporations given any rights.
Towns say no to corporate privilege
• Voters pass laws asserting local authority over corporations.
• Instant runoff voting (IRV) enables folks to vote their mind; encourages new parties.
Participatory Budgeting (PB) • A tradition in New
England town meetings.
• Now in big cities with big revenues.
Education and Media• Today they
domesticate. Tomorrow they could liberate.
• They could wither discrimination and corporate power
Justice• Try restorative justice,
not retribution. • Don’t let lawyers
eliminate sophisticated jurors
Globalization’s Local Impacts • Citizen trade
commissions are up and running.
Subsidiarity
• Empowerment through local decisions.
• Not top-down patronizing and fostered helplessness.
Regional Integration• United Communities.• Reform of Home Rule
law a first step.