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Historic day?
Today we sat in Jay Fidell's office while he let the video camera roll first on Ed Case, Burt Lum, me, Ryan Ozawa, and then Jay himself. After everyone left, Jay and I had a chat on camera about what this site means.
I think I told this to Ryan as we were wrapping things up: I have a sense that this may be a historic moment. Of course historical kinda stuff can only be seen in hindsight, but there were, a seasoned politician, lawyer, and 3 geeks, all come together to share a dream of a better future for Hawaii's people.
Ed made a good point: walk down the street and ask people of they feel their government is prepared for the challenges of today and tomorrow and if you're lucky, perhaps you'll get 2 out of 10 who will say "Yes" and chances are that those two are probably part of the embedded power structure that likes things the way they are.
I believe that the other 8, and I do put myself in that category, feel that on almost every significant issue, our government is far under par.
It doesn't have to be that way folks. The Internet has changed nearly every industry in a dramatic way. One industry that has yet to really feel the power of networked intelligence is the public decision process, i.e. government. Oh yes, sure, we can file our taxes online and renew our business registrations and yes, you can donate money to your favorite candidate online.
But what about the decision-making process itself? What about the management of public discourse surrounding key issues?
That's what I hope this site will create. I'm praying, actually. We'll see.
I think I told this to Ryan as we were wrapping things up: I have a sense that this may be a historic moment. Of course historical kinda stuff can only be seen in hindsight, but there were, a seasoned politician, lawyer, and 3 geeks, all come together to share a dream of a better future for Hawaii's people.
Ed made a good point: walk down the street and ask people of they feel their government is prepared for the challenges of today and tomorrow and if you're lucky, perhaps you'll get 2 out of 10 who will say "Yes" and chances are that those two are probably part of the embedded power structure that likes things the way they are.
I believe that the other 8, and I do put myself in that category, feel that on almost every significant issue, our government is far under par.
It doesn't have to be that way folks. The Internet has changed nearly every industry in a dramatic way. One industry that has yet to really feel the power of networked intelligence is the public decision process, i.e. government. Oh yes, sure, we can file our taxes online and renew our business registrations and yes, you can donate money to your favorite candidate online.
But what about the decision-making process itself? What about the management of public discourse surrounding key issues?
That's what I hope this site will create. I'm praying, actually. We'll see.
Comment
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Comment by Peter Kay on April 26, 2008 at 8:43am - I always find that when I hear both sides of an argument I always end up the better. Thanks James!
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Comment by james gerard on April 25, 2008 at 2:05pm - Term limits come with each election but i do think they have their value and favor them to help even the playing field and create leadership opportunities for citizens to represent in elected government positions. i also believe we have high(and often unreasonable )expectations of our government. i believe we the citizens have let ourselves down as much as the corrupt structures in place at various levels of government. the marriage of government and big business has created many problems that go unaddressed because of these corrupt structures in place (chiefly, lobbying, corporate welfare and elections influence)
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Comment by Alexandra Kaan on April 20, 2008 at 6:11pm - Gentlemen, You couldn't be more correct in putting forth the hope of a better future for the State of Hawaii. People don't vote because they fell it doesn't count and doesn't make the impact. I would like to see candidates that have some workplace experience, not ones that have done little else than jump on a political opportunity and make a career of politics. Our citizens deserve better, we need public funding and term limits. Thank you for listening (reading) my views and sharing yours. Mahalo, Alexandra Kaan
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