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    You Can Control Your Governments: How to Restore Real Democracy to the Citizen
    You Can Control Your Governments: How to Restore Real Democracy to the Citizen
    You Can Control Your Governments: How to Restore Real Democracy to the Citizen
    Ebook144 pages1 hour

    You Can Control Your Governments: How to Restore Real Democracy to the Citizen

    By Richard Tafel

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    About this ebook

    This book is about democralcy - in its truest sense. It describes how the average citizen can gain control over his elected representatives.
    It describes how the really important matters of governing - the issues - can, where enough citizens are concerned about them, be decided not by party leaders, but by the citizens themselves. And that the results will be better for the community.
    It brings our cherished ideas about democracy into the 21st Century.
    It is a must read by anyone who cares about his childen, his municaplity, his state or province, his country.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateDec 29, 2012
    ISBN9781477298213
    You Can Control Your Governments: How to Restore Real Democracy to the Citizen
    Author

    Richard Tafel

    Richard Tafel was an active lawyer in Ontario, Canada, for all of his professional life. While workig in themyriad activities of an active daily practce, he also found time to become involved in political matters. He became president of three different political affiliations within his municipality. He attended many political conventions. He is acutely aware of the awesome power of government over our daily lives. He was an elected school trustee for 10 years. He has traveled in all of the continents. He realizes just how little influence any citizen has in what goes on within his country's vaunted democracy.

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      Book preview

      You Can Control Your Governments - Richard Tafel

      © 2013 Richard Tafel. All Rights Reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

      or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

      Published by AuthorHouse 12/21/2012

      ISBN: 978-1-4772-9821-3 (e)

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

      and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      US%26UKLogoColornew.ai

      Contents

      Introduction:

      Chapter 1: Deciding the Issues of Government

      Chapter 2: Is Democracy Stuck?

      Chapter 3: The Evolution of Modern Democracy

      Chapter 4: - Referendums

      Chapter 5: Examples of Real, Direct Democracy;

      Chapter 6: Switzerland – Direct Democracy - Par Excellence!

      Chapter 7: Direct Democracy: How It Actually Works in Switzerland

      Chapter 8: Switzerland’s Society – Does it Function Well?

      Chapter 9: - Leadership in Switzerland

      Chapter 10: The Cult of Leadership – in Canada

      Chapter 11: – Canadian Votable Issues – and Politician’s Roles

      Chapter 12: The Cult of Leadership in the United States

      Chapter 13: Leadership in Other Countries

      Chapter 14: Wisdom - from the Masses?

      Chapter 15: Features Necessary To Be in Place Before Direct Democracy Can Be Expected to Work

      Chapter 16: What are the Objections to Direct Democracy?

      Chapter 17: Voting via Computer

      Chapter 18: – How Citizen Voting on Issues – Direct Democracy in Canada – Has Been Attempted – Thus Far!

      Chapter 19: How can We Persuade the Powers-to-be to Implement Direct Democracy?

      Chapter 20: The Summary

      Chapter 21: Conclusion:

      References

      Thanks

      YOU Can Control Your Governments!

      YOU can Control

      Your Governments!

      How to restore real democracy to the citizen

      Copyright 2008 by Richard D. Tafel

      No. 1069300

      Updated, Nov. 2012

      All sale rights are reserved. But, any part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, without the permission of the copyright holder, especially if used to encourage the promulgation of the main principles.

      Richard D. Tafel,

      283 Mirimishi Rd.,

      Corbeil, Ont. Canada P0H1K0

      rtafel@sympatico.ca

      705 472 7907

      Printed in U.S.A

      Dedicated to my children:

      David, Hugh, Sandra, and Elsa

      Forewords

      Dick Tafel’s common sense perspective comes not only from his extensive research of other jurisdictions but also from his own active local grassroots involvement in provincial and federal party politics. This book provides ample proof that more direct democracy will improve our quality of life. A very worthwhile read.

      Mike Harris, ICD.D

      Premier of Ontario (1995-2002)

      Senior Fellow, The Fraser Institute

      Corporate Board Member and Business Consultant

      Despite the recent upsurge in democratic interest and involvement in the United States, interest and participation in Canada’s democratic processes continues to decline.

      In this book, Richard D. Tafel proposes a healthy injection of direct democracy – Switzerland style – to revitalize Canadian democracy.

      While you may not agree with everything Dick has to say, this book and its recommendations are worthy of careful consideration by every citizen and politician who truly cares about the state of democracy in Canada.

      Preston Manning, President and CEO

      Manning Centre for Building Democracy (January 2009)

      Introduction:

      Doesn’t it just rile you, the way things are run by the government? Things just happen, without your prior knowledge, involvement or acceptance. Yet we are supposed to be a democracy where the citizens are supposed to be the ones that determine things.

      Yes, it must seem impossible to control your government as the title in this tome suggests. But, - read on! Many jurisdictions do have citizens;, like you, who do control their government. We should be like them!

      Government is Everywhere!

      Do we really feel okay about the huge size of government, and the taxes that must be taken from our labours or savings to pay for it all - or the incurring of immense deficits which our children must pay?

      Millions in stimulus – for automobile companies? Should we have to accept that sort of penalty to our own efforts?

      There are so many issues; what do you think about raising your taxes by 8% upon various articles? What do you think about making all adult bicyclists and skiers wear helmets? Why should an experienced boater , who only drives a small motor-boat suddenly have to pay for a formal federal examination, in order to continue to drive his boat?

      Why should we be permitting the separation of our school children into publicly supported linguistic, or religious or racist ghettoes?

      A popular saying from the early 1900’s hung on my wall at my office for years. "Thank goodness we don’t get all the government we pay for". This comment was penned by down-to earth U.S. columnist, and actor, Will Rogers some one-hundred years ago. As true, and derisive to-day, as then, isn’t it?

      Government, surely affects a huge part of our life, no matter how inefficiently, This is so even more now than during Will Roger’s time. Its importance cannot be ignored, even if we would like it to.

      Does Majority Opinion Prevail?

      When one begins to think about it, there are ever so many issues about which it is doubtful that majority opinion has had its sway. You can think of many not intimated previously.

      Some others: should some marijuana laws be crimes or simply misdemeanors (like drinking)? Should not a person who is attacked have the right to fight back, or to go after his assailant?

      Same-sex marriages – do they make sense to you? What about abortions? Should there be laws clarifying better that important issue?

      Educational standards; garbagemen’s strikes; Indians breaking laws with apparent impunity; rights of terrorists? Just where is our viewpoint in these significant matters? Locally, how about the establishment of public parks? Could not that type of issue be clarified by a local public vote? Indeed, many of those mentioned might well be acceptable – but we just don’t know; we are ignoring the fact that we are supposed to be a democracy – and majority opinion should prevail .

      And so, why not - when enough people want it - should not the people be making decisions on some of these sorts of issues?

      Are We, the People Ruling?

      Adlai Stevenson said to convention goers before the U.S. election in 1952 as citizens of this democracy, you are the ruler of the ruled, the law-giver and the law-abider, the beginning and the end.¹ Ruler? Not a word often used to-day to describe us citizens.

      The current, democratic form of our ruling of government does involve periodic elections. You, probably, have participated in many, - from school board, through municipal, provincial to federal. This voting is for a representative and generally is organized pretty well. Few serious scandals have erupted about that within recent years, at least in Canada.

      But, then it gets awkward. We also have political parties to contend with. And leaders with immense power. And since most representatives are elected now for up to four years, during that four years, you know you cannot really influence him or her; that is – in the determination of the issues of government. This is so, no matter how pleasant your representatives may be.

      Though we may be thankful that we do not get all the government that we pay for, we sure get an awful lot; and our personal influence in any of it is - nil!

      In my own over 70 years of experience, though being involved in all kinds of electoral matters, only twice in my life have I ever been granted the opportunity to vote upon an issue. Probably your history is similar. Once, several years ago was an idea called the Charlottetown Accord. It was presented to us by the federal government.

      The other was in 2006. Provincial legislators permitted Ontarians to vote upon a different method of electing them.

      And that is it. So, you must, therefore, remind yourself that our public involvement upon governmental issues is minimal.

      Public Cynicisms Mount

      Public cynicism has, accordingly, become pervasive. And, numbers who are voting are diminishing by the year.

      Despite the glowing tributes by some to our country’s supposed freedoms and successes, deep down you know that there are major problems within our vaunted democracy. Thomas Axworthy, chair of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Queen’s University summed it up well in a recent article – Canadian democracy is certainly in need of major repair… parliamentary accountability is in decline, and citizens are frustrated in their ability to contribute to decisions that influence their lives.²

      Our current election laws even discriminate against our promoting opinions upon issues during election time. We must register with Elections Canada and obey a stringent spending limit. Only the political parties are supposed to be touting ideas during elections, it seems. ³

      What affects us through government interference has very little to do with what we actually wish. It is so far removed from our purview that we commonly say the government, - not our government.

      Swiss Experiences in Governing

      Despite all this, for some unknown reason, I have always been curious about just how public issues are determined elsewhere. One place especially impressed me. That is Switzerland.

      Since first visiting it in 1952, and then on several occasions afterwards, I have noticed how everything there really seemed to hum along smoothly That was municipally, state

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