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Jonathan Geeting

User Profile Image Jonathan Geeting
Member since : May-29-2009 (Verified)
0 Ideas, 5 Comments, 71 Votes

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Jonathan Geeting 9 months ago
This is a critical issue. Private prisons create an insane incentive to keep locking up more and more people. It results in an over-reliance on criminal justice tactics to solve problems that could be better addressed through other means. They want to create more and more prisons, when we should be trying to rehabilitate more criminals and turn them into functioning members of society - not keep them locked up forever.
Jonathan Geeting 9 months ago
This is a really cool idea. All the talk about Open Government in the digital age is all well and good, and I find it appealing as a college-educated young white person living in a major city. But what about all the people who aren't as privileged as me? The people who don't have the time to read about policy and monitor ongoing debates in Congress? The people who can't afford Internet access? The people who can't read even if they could? An expanded effort by the gov't to bring Americans into policy discussions is great news, but an effort needs to be made to involve people who aren't online. Coordinating with community organizers is a great idea for bringing more people into the process.
Jonathan Geeting 9 months ago
I'm a Democrat, and I agree with this. Too often issues aren't fully fleshed out in debates, with discourse limited only to the parameters accepted by the two major parties. But there are more diverse opinions out there than those taken up by the two parties, and if a third party candidate is able to command some exceptional threshold of support, I don't see a reason not to allow that candidate to participate. We need more, not fewer, voices in our democracy.
Jonathan Geeting 9 months ago
Good on ya, John. I'm a progressive, and disagree with you more often than I agree. But this is a good idea, and I think its a good model for the Republicans going forward. The public wants a more active government, because we see how certain problems just don't lend themselves to market dynamics - they require solutions that aren't going to make anyone money, and might actually cost money or break even. That's ok, but we need the Republicans to be on "harm-reduction" detail. Bureacracy can get out of control, or waste money, and we need conservatives to stay vigilant about real abuses. But so far you've been crying wolf, calling projects waste that plainly aren't, and diluting the effectiveness of this line of criticism for when the threat is real. The GOP should stop being anti-government and start being pro good-government, attacking real corruption and waste. This is a good start.
Jonathan Geeting 9 months ago
How about pie charts showing where individual members of Congress' fundraising comes from - business PAC contributions could be broken down by industry. Members could also be required to post who they meet with and who is lobbying them. Before we crack down on lobbying activities, lets see if they change for the better when we make them operate in the sunlight.