THE END comes on the screen when every decent movie finishes, proving that it doesn’t pretend there is going to be a sequel.
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
— The Doors
The End
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
— T.S. Eliot
The Hollow Men
I could go on quoting lines all day because everybody who is anybody always writes about death and the end of everything. But today is about the end of democracy in the USA.
It’s ending with a whimper.
It’s gone my friend.
The only way you are ever going to get it back is by wiping the slate clean and starting over. Next time you might want to model your attempt at democracy on the proportional representation system and universal suffrage from birth.
Germany lost democracy once. 13 unlucky years brought death and destruction and, luckily, a fresh chance at doing it right the second time. Which, to my mind, they have done fairly well.
The simple answer to how the German system now works is:
The German Bundestag is elected in accordance with the principles of proportional representation in combination with a candidate-centered election. This is also called personalized proportional representation. Under this system, each voter has two votes.
Who is eligible to vote?
The following are eligible to vote:
- all Germans as defined in Article 116 (1) of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz, GG)
- who are at least 18 years old on the day of the election,
- have had a domicile or have otherwise been permanently resident in the Federal Republic of Germany for at least three months, and
- are not disqualified from voting
(section 12 (1) of the Federal Electoral Act).
Anyone who is not eligible to vote owing to a judicial decision is disqualified from voting.
Here is a link to the more thorough explanation: Bundestag Elections
You can find all this information on the site I linked you to, but, knowing human beings to be lazy and not interested in doing too much research on their own, I’ll provide you with the important information here.
Electoral registers
All eligible voters are automatically entered by their municipality in the electoral register of their polling district if they have registered their address with the responsible registration authority in Germany at least 42 days before the election. At least 21 days before the election, voters receive their voter’s notification and an application form for a polling card to vote by postal ballot.
Anyone who has not been entered in the electoral register through no fault of their own may lodge an objection to the inaccuracy or incompleteness of the electoral register. The electoral register may be inspected on working days 20 to 16 days before the election.
The electoral register is closed between the third and last day before the election. After that, it can only be corrected until the start of voting in the case of obvious inaccuracy or incompleteness.
The fact that I am registered as a resident at a particular address and am a German citizen makes it possible for the ballot for any upcoming election or referendum to be sent to me by mail in plenty of time, not only with all the necessary information about what I will be voting for—including the parties I might to vote for, or the explanation of the subject of the referendum—, but also with a piece of paper that has my personal permission to vote, which I will then hand in at the polling station, and show my ID if asked. Then I can vote.
Wherever you live in Germany, within a few weeks of moving into your apartment or house, you have to register with the local municipality. Americans think this is a violation of their personal freedom, but it’s really convenient. You need a new ID card, a new driver’s license, a new passport, any kind of documentation? You get it from there. It’s a one-stop shop.
Yes, there is a rather large bureaucracy in Germany, but it does get the job done.
Anyway, the USA and democracy have parted ways. They may never get back together again.
The oligarchs in the Democratic Party are probably relieved now that they can just enjoy their wealth without getting blamed for being tied in to big business. After all, they ARE big business. The other oligarchs are watering at the mouth, looking to snap up whatever bargains they can find until everything—and I mean everything—has been privatized.
Capitalism is the syringe that injects the highly addictive drug called PROFIT into the entrepreneurial system. It has the same effect as does winning at craps or roulette. It gives the winner an instant endorphin high, better than any crack cocaine ever could. More PROFIT, more endorphin highs.
Power has the same effect. That’s why the Orange Monster and his crew are getting more radical each day. The pursuit of power is endless and the need for it can never be satisfied.
See you on the other side.
