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[Christopher Browne]

On Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 1:18 PM, Colin McGregor <colin.mc151-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> Seems a strange way to run a nation, but at least for Americans it
> seems to (more-or-less) work.

This shouldn't seem so remarkable.

There are plenty of alternative policy approaches out there that
function perfectly well (not necessarily perfect :-)) despite being
"different."

Auctions are a great example of this: people tend to be accustomed to
"English style" auctions, which is where, as long as people keep
waving their hand, the price keeps going up.  But that is by no means
the only way to do it...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auction_theory

There are 3 alternatives that are in common use:
 - First-price sealed-bid auctions
 - Second-price sealed-bid auctions (Vickrey auctions)
 - Open Descending-bid auctions (Dutch auctions)

Dutch auctions seem wackily different; they only ever see one bid.  It
is not, however, irrational; the Dutch have been using this approach
for flower sales since long before Canada was a country :-).

Political policies are a funny thing.  In the 2000 US election, the
fact that the Electoral College policies had some effect on the
outcome caused a brief hue and cry to the effect that it ought to be
changed.  It hasn't had any such effect since, and that controversy
has subsided.  There are a lively and interesting set of arguments
both pro- and con.  There are material arguments IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States)

It is by no means obvious that changing that part of their policy
would be unambiguously "good."  That principle is much more widely
true than people tend to recognize.
-- 
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"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and
expecting different results."  -- assortedly attributed to Albert
Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Rita Mae Brown, and Rudyard Kipling
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