Re: Did Community Meetings influence your post P10 life? -- WELCOME TO THE PIERPONT UMASS MESSAGE BOARD

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Subject: Re: Did Community Meetings influence your post P10 life?

Author:
Peter Lewicke

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Date Posted: 21:03:55 08/09/04 Mon
In reply to: Jo Yaffe Kjosness 's message, "Re: Did Community Meetings influence your post P10 life?" on 06:56:55 08/09/04 Mon

>I've been thinking about Peter's response for a couple
>of weeks now. We went to school at the same time
>(1969-73), and while we both mistrust politicians, I
>remain committed to participatory governance, while
>Peter seems to argue for (honest) benevolent monarchy.
>
>On the other hand, in my stint as a University
>administrator and meeting chair, I absolutely detested
>the wasted time and energy of committee meetings,
>where countless hours were spent going over and over
>the same points. I like my meetings tight and small,
>with a defined agenda and task objectives.
>
>Maybe all these years I've been reacting against P-10
>community meetings without even realizing it! :)

I think that you misunderstood part of my note. In general, I find participatory governance preferable, but wasting time in meetings that accomplish nothing is not desireable. Given a choice between a debating society that does nothing and a monarch who is actually benevolent, I would prefer the monarch, and, based on your note, I get the impression that you also would.

The ideal situation is one where the governing entity has control over very little and the governed are able to act freely on everything that is not within the authority of the governing entiity. Ideally, the governing entiity would be a democratic assembly with no permanent officers, only ad hoc exectutives for a given task.

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