More Equal Animals - Chapter 1: The Tyranny of the Status Quo (Unofficial Summary)
The US Constitution has failed to produce good government. In the past 50 years only about 30% approve of government. George Washington warned about the dangers of political parties in his farewell address and his insights are evident in modern politics. ‘A political party represents a parallel private government comprised of individuals colluding to gain control of the constitutional government’ and undermines the Constitution. Politicians become more loyal to their tribe than the country. Drawing from his experience in governance in cryptocurrency communities and using game theory, the author realized that he could not ‘ “outlaw” political parties’ but needed to ‘design a system that makes them impossible to form in the first place.’
In the two-party system the power of any ‘independent politician is nullified’ and it becomes difficult to get on the ballot or debates. Hence most outsiders have to choose one of the two parties, toe the party line and follow a primary election process that is ‘structurally unable to truly represent the will of the party members, let alone the citizens of the United States.’ Other factors that make changing the system difficult include: 1) gerrymandering 2) media 3) incumbent advantage 4) campaign finance 5) controlled debates 6) politicians over policy 7) voter fraud. ‘It's time to implement a new process that considers everyone in the country without bias to the status quo powers that be and without corruption of party insiders.’