Why not extend Free Software Movement into political party??

[philipuso]

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The tools exist now.

The open source/Free Software Movement community has the technical talent to publish info on the internet.
The internet exists, bypassing all owned media.
The young have open minds and are adept at using technology.
Innovative organizational skills exist for large projects like the linux kernel, why not organize an ideal government?
Direct participation is now possible with access to the internet.
Communication is instanteonous, efficient, and more productive than ever.
Practical minded engineers/scientists exist that will have practical ideals.
A figure head with a reputation is possible to gain widespread noteriety. Richard Stallman, Linus, come to mind.

What's missing? A LEADER

Why not construct a website containing an ideal government, similiar to the original constitution, or whatever the community likes. Then use it to reform the current POS bureaucracy we have now.

The tools I mentioned above are what bring opensource people together. Given the correct construction of a website that allows people to participate in a real democracy. The mainstream people of opensource will outweigh the extremists. This is how a real democracy is supposed to work.

People, please don't be self-defeating and say "I'm just a peon who can't change anything about our current government." This is exactly what people in power want you to believe, and look if you were a king of "Mt. Utopia", you would want everyone under you to feel the same way in order for you to stay in power.

I bring this up because it is well known 50% of people don't vote, even though there's probably a 3rd party representing you that could gain power if you voted.

I've done some brainstorming and thought why not have a web interface where a topic is brought up for example, "immigration". Then have an upside down hierarchy of subtopics related to the issue. For example "immigration across southern border" and "immigration across canadian border" would be child suptopics of "immigration". There would be then child subtopics on all different viewpoints of "Immigration across southern border". Example "It boosts economy". "It requires us to pay services for illegals". "on an on". Each suptopic "immigration across southern border" would have a forum that people can post messages to and could possibly have even more child suptopics. Each message could be rated 0-5 by viewers based on acceptance, content quality, and possible other properties. Then possibly calculations would then be made and the person with the highest score on that subject would decide on the issue. Or possibly another solution to what, who decides the real policy could be calculated based on posts people make and their rating by readers. Readers would be members and only allowed to vote their acceptance, content quality between 0-5 once when viewing the message of some other. The message would then move up the list of messages based on its score of content quality or perhaps other properties you vote on and would have a better potential to be seen by more members.

Some method would have to be created in order for people to only vote once on each message and not create more than one account and vote the same way with multiple accounts(cheating). Finger print identication for logging in? I don't know what's feasible and cost effective.

The specs of this interface/implementation would need to be put together in which it would work effectively and democraticly. All calculations/source code would available to all and transparancy would keep things legit. A select few of unbiased would adapt the system/calculations if need be. Selection of the few would have to be figured out. Some serious software engineering would have to be done.

Any thoughts by anybody else.

Any person connected to the internet could vote once on each message if a registered member. The toughest part would be making sure only once person has one membership account. A finger print id system connected via usb to the computer comes to mind. Another more unpractical idea would be retina scan because of costs.

Please don't play victim to big corporations and work with me here. I know are system gives corporations now, but what about the future? We the masses decide the future and decide whether we get shafted by corporations. We just need to put are common interests together and fight back. The David & Goliath battle "Linux vs. Microsoft" battle has worked. Why can't this?

[Phantom]

open source government. interesting...
but how would we overthrow the existing government?

[Roeland]

RMS with his magic flute is our leader.

I mean, come on, Open Source is a business model, Free Software is a movement, nice. But how on earth are we going to agree on euthanasia, softdrugs regulation/tolerance, prostitution, abortion, gay-marriage, social security, taxes, military issues, just to name a few nice topics.

I'd plea for Open Softdrugs, instead of Free Softdrugs, I'd plea for Open and Free Euthanasia, just to take it out of the shady corners of society. I'd plea for Open Prostitution (including safety measures, and a prostitutes rights organization), available to people who can't get Free Sex. Open and Free (As in Freedom) Gay Marriage, but, most of all... I'd plea for a Free World.

Guess not everybody would agree with me on these topics, now, would they?

So, just gimme RMS with his magic flute and let the Gnuru pave the road to software freedom, just to add to a better world. As a tool, that is.

Everything political will get boring, frightening or turn bad within three days after opening.

-Roel