Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Thailand News and Discussion Forum | ASEANNOW

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Beyond the US midterms: The Swiss answer to congressional gridlock

Featured Replies

Free Brown House Under Blue Skies Photography Stock Photo

 

It's notoriously hard to get new laws passed in the US and few believe the looming election reshaping Congress will solve that. Could the Swiss "people power" model help?

The US political system seems designed to create gridlock. The two chambers of Congress are frequently controlled by different parties.

The Senate has longstanding procedures that allow the minority party there to block most major legislation that doesn't have the support of at least 60 of the 100 senators.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63387905

BBC.jpg

As, IMO, governments seem to make life more difficult with some of the laws they do pass, I'd be quite happy if they didn't pass any laws other than those with at least 90% votes.

 

IMO the Swiss come closest to real democracy with their requirements for referendums on many things.

Rich Americans would never agree to a political system where buying politicians would have little effect. Can you imagine the little people passing a law that forced corporations to pay their far share of taxes? Can't have  that.

5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

As, IMO, governments seem to make life more difficult with some of the laws they do pass, I'd be quite happy if they didn't pass any laws other than those with at least 90% votes.

 

IMO the Swiss come closest to real democracy with their requirements for referendums on many things.

The referendums in Switzerland are only a part of the system.

The other main part is that governments in Switzerkand (on a national and state level) consist of ministers of several political parties that actually work together to find solutions.

The Swiss government consists of 7 ministers (secretarys in the US) from the 5 biggest political parties. Each year, one of them will be President, but only as Primus inter Pares (first among equals). It is their job to jointly find the best solutions for a majority of the population and not only for their political basis.

Create an account or sign in to comment

Recently Browsing 0

  • No registered users viewing this page.

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.