I'd like to see a "Department of the Commons" established

[ShimokitaJer]

Sure, it's just the kind of thing the Repubs would jump on as Communist, but I think if we framed the debate properly, we could get it to work. Basically, it involves portraying the DOC as a department dedicated to protecting the property of the American people from private interests who are attempting to steal them. This property includes the air and water, the airwaves, national parks, telephone lines, etc.

The department would basically be a counterbalance against abuse by other departments and agencies. In other words, the EPA has a duty to protect the environment and the FCC has a duty to oversee the airwaves, but when they fail or betry those duties, the DOC would step in, investigating and filing lawsuits against those agencies. Potential nominees for Secretary of the Commons are Ralph Nader, Lewis Lessig, etc.

What do you think? Is this just a pipe dream?

[brainshrub]

1. We already have a DOC

It's called Congress. Granted, they aren't doing their jobs...but that's the voters fault.

While your heart is in the right place, a DOC would step on to many toes to be effective.

[tom_paine]

2. Pipe dream

Not a bad idea, but I think people understand that what we are struggling to save here is the Constittuion and Bill of Rights, so that America won;t become a sink of corruption with hereditary potentates.

We are struggling to save a nation without Gulags and political prisoner, we are struggling to save a Free Nation.

In other words, we are struggling to keep those things our parents and their parents took for granted in a givernment of checks and balances and an egalitarian America in which all people are created equal.

The DOC is a nice idea, but the real trick is going to be to stop Right-Wing Nationalized Neighborhood Watch from spying on us and denouncing us or whatever the Amerikan Empire's particular brand of Tyranny will be after this twilight transitional phase is over.