Wendy Seltzer wrote:
> I don't want to devalue the
ALSs,
Yet you proposed a system that does just that.
> but I
do want to empower the individuals within and outside
them.
>
The creation of a catch-all pseudo-ALS, offers
fair involvement;
anything beyond that empowers some to the penalty of
others.
As I've said before, the goal here is should not be to give
multiple
points of entry to the existing insiders who know how to exploit
the
fine print, but to provide encouragement to those who aren't even
yet
part of the process. The emphasis should be to encourage
participation
through ALSs -- existing or potential -- with bypassing them
through
direct participation being seen as a last resort rather than a
preferred
method of access. We need a process that is not only fair but
that
_appears_ fair, and that means not elevating the influence of
the
would-be elite at the outset.
In my own opinion, anyone who is
more interested in policy than ego
should have no problem participating
through an ALS (or -- failing that
-- joining a NPO that shares their views
and spearheading a move for
that NPO to become an ALS). I have little
sympathy for those who are too
self-important to give the ALS process a
chance; their greed and
impatience should not be rewarded.
-
Evan