I realized the other day that Elon *must* look nuts to people as a matter of course. His whole super power is knowing when to zig when everyone else wants to zag and then he finds the biggest delta areas and impacts those. Thats his whole intelligence value. So he will *always* appear nuts at the start of any venture.
The Cycle of Broken Promises: Why We Need Transparency and Accountability in Democracy
Yesterday, people voted again, hoping to elect a leader who would actually make a difference. Supporters believed their chosen candidate would address the issues they care about.
My son asked me to look at why people chose the way they did, but I was more focused on the bigger picture—the process where politicians make promises to gain support but seldom follow through. Since 1980, election after election has come with high hopes. But despite these promises, governments have consistently failed to fix the issues that impact people’s lives the most:
- Costs are skyrocketing, wages are flat, and families are barely getting by.
- People don’t trust politicians; they seem self-serving and disconnected from regular people.
- Homeownership feels impossible, and rent is outrageously high.
- Healthcare costs too much, and access is limited.
- Jobs are unstable, with gig work and economic changes leaving people anxious.
- Climate action is weak, and fossil fuels still run the show.
- Inequality is worse, with discrimination and a lack of opportunities keeping people down.
- Big corporations own everything—banks, media, oil, tech, and even think tanks. They pour money into politics and lawyers, so the politicians work for them.
- Foreign ownership is rising, profits leave the country, and locals get less.
- Education costs too much; students graduate in debt with no guarantee of stable jobs.
- Terrorism and cyber threats are up, challenging safety and freedom.
- Human rights progress is uneven; issues like discrimination and privacy abuses are still around.
Every election, we hear the same promises, but for many, life stays the same—or even gets worse. Why does this cycle of broken promises continue?
The answer is simple: the system is rigged. It’s not about what’s best for the public; it’s about who can play within a system controlled by wealth and influence—a system that manipulates every lever of power to ensure that, no matter who “wins,” their interests stay protected.
The result? A democracy in name only.
In a real democracy, transparency is essential. People deserve truth and facts:
- Who’s funding campaigns, and what do they expect in return?
- How are media and tech platforms shaping public opinion?
- Are leaders truly serving the public, or just following the agenda of a powerful few?
- How did monopolies gain control over everything that makes our lives difficult?
If people had clear answers to these questions, they could finally end this cycle of failure and manipulation.
A Path Forward: Accountability for Leaders
We need more than minor reforms. We need a citizen-led group focused on holding leaders accountable—the Leadership Accountability Court (LAC). Here’s how it would work:
The LAC would be legislated because that’s what the majority demands. Once in place, it would allow citizens to bring cases of unethical, incompetent, negligent, or biased actions by government leaders, ending the hijacking of democracy by vested interests.
The LAC would operate online, streamlining the process and allowing cases to be filed, reviewed, and resolved within months. This digital approach would ensure that issues are addressed swiftly, keeping leaders accountable in real-time without the lengthy delays typically associated with traditional legal systems.
Citizen juries would review these cases to keep the process fair and transparent. Leaders who fail the public would face real consequences: they’d explain, correct, apologize—or be removed.
The LAC would make leaders accountable to the people they serve, not just during elections but every day. This isn’t just a new system—it’s a real way to end the cycle of broken promises and bring democracy back to the people.
Your observations are excellent, especially regarding the power of Big Corporations whose only mission is: make profits for their owners. Ethics? Morality? Not so much. Yet, Corporations, which are groups, operate with “private property rights” allowing them to leverage power and money to subvert democracy. Private property rights are an extension of individual rights from birth that come from our Creator, not government. Group rights are “collectivism” and always violate someone else’s individual rights (name one that does not). We have allowed this “Corporatism”, which is CRONY (fake) Capitalism to reach the point now with their own rules and tax system that is unsustainable for the pretense of “Democracy” to continue. The UniParty of Big Gov + Big Corp globalists = fascism. Big Corp buys votes from Big Gov career politicians getting rich while in office while dividing and conquering the voters, amassing more profits and power no matter who wins. Meanwhile, the true source of individual freedom, is eclipsed by the pursuit of money. This is good vs evil. In simplest terms: we all have free will to choose, it is the only thing that cannot be taken away, only surrendered by choice. All the other individual rights are an extension of free will from our Creator when individuals choose to align with Natural Laws regardless of the consequences, knowing that life is short, but eternity lasts forever, and we are spiritual beings with responsibilities to others’ individual rights and freedom. Rights and responsibility, you cannot have one without the other. The solution cannot be automated. It is up to each individual, each day, to choose. To wake up each day is to be “born again” (put back in the fight) to be the change we want to see in the world, to reflect the Truth, the Light, and the Way so that those who are lost may find their way Home. That is why we are here. That is how freedom is won. My question is: what is the best way to take away Corporations’ private property rights (not individual stockholders’ private property rights) and protect the equal individual rights of all freedom loving people?
This sounds good but is it S2D2? Yes it’s more “efficient” by far (which can be good or bad because there are benefits to slowing down as well as there are to speeding up). Who chooses who sits on the jury? It comes back around to “It’s not who votes that counts. It’s who counts the votes that matter.” - Joseph Stalin
Inflation is global, US president has nothing to do with it. But try telling that to American voters.
Low wages? Americans have supported massive wealth disparity for decades. Americans like to have millions of workers on minimum wage or reliant on gratuities.
Etc Etc.
What promises have been broken over the last 20, 30, 50 years? By whom?
Oddly, American voters still don't understand that they're part of the rest of the world.
Just wait until Trump imposes 25 percent tarriffs on everything. That's one of the many promises that you folk voted for.
I posted Musings of the Old Gray Mere on Substack for about a year and a half. Loved doing it!
Have been a writer/journalist/editor for 57 years— in NYC, Brussels and elsewhere.
Stripe burrowed into my account almost from the start, blocking financial access to my friends/ followers. Claiming the account was dangerous?? Some people ended up sending me $ in other ways.
And I relentlessly asked both Substack and Stripe to straighten this out, provide specific facts, etc. Nothing was resolved and I was on phones and assorted resources all over, even abroad.
So I shutdown my account. Fed up. Secured my writing. Left Substack.
Given Substack’s stance on free media and freedom of speech, I wonder how the platform views its role in a shifting political landscape—especially as America contemplates the possibility of a Trump re-election. The U.S. might be on a path similar to Hungary’s, where Orban’s government has gradually restricted press freedom and centralized control, effectively silencing dissent. With Hungary now having one of the highest VAT rates in Europe while curbing media freedom, it raises the question: Could platforms like Substack become the last bastions for open discourse if America moves toward political authoritarianism? Or does Substack see any potential risks to its mission if political climates keep leaning in that direction?
Elon? Yikes. What a strange take. Comparing him to Murdoch. You trivialize his accomplishments by comparing him to Murdoch. What a joke. Perhaps the legacy msm made this all happen.
I wish I could access transcript in app and restack. Agree with this except for idea that legacy media is goneburgers. It’s the antagonist that all the alternative protagonists are evolving from and measuring themselves against. Batman would be noone without Joker. Fox still drove everyone’s work by calling the election.
Like the side by side
Side by side is better! I like it
Good discussion. Prediction Markets will likely outperform pollsters in the future. Substack does provide an essential medium for writers. Thanks.
I realized the other day that Elon *must* look nuts to people as a matter of course. His whole super power is knowing when to zig when everyone else wants to zag and then he finds the biggest delta areas and impacts those. Thats his whole intelligence value. So he will *always* appear nuts at the start of any venture.
The Cycle of Broken Promises: Why We Need Transparency and Accountability in Democracy
Yesterday, people voted again, hoping to elect a leader who would actually make a difference. Supporters believed their chosen candidate would address the issues they care about.
My son asked me to look at why people chose the way they did, but I was more focused on the bigger picture—the process where politicians make promises to gain support but seldom follow through. Since 1980, election after election has come with high hopes. But despite these promises, governments have consistently failed to fix the issues that impact people’s lives the most:
- Costs are skyrocketing, wages are flat, and families are barely getting by.
- People don’t trust politicians; they seem self-serving and disconnected from regular people.
- Homeownership feels impossible, and rent is outrageously high.
- Healthcare costs too much, and access is limited.
- Jobs are unstable, with gig work and economic changes leaving people anxious.
- Climate action is weak, and fossil fuels still run the show.
- Inequality is worse, with discrimination and a lack of opportunities keeping people down.
- Big corporations own everything—banks, media, oil, tech, and even think tanks. They pour money into politics and lawyers, so the politicians work for them.
- Foreign ownership is rising, profits leave the country, and locals get less.
- Education costs too much; students graduate in debt with no guarantee of stable jobs.
- Terrorism and cyber threats are up, challenging safety and freedom.
- Human rights progress is uneven; issues like discrimination and privacy abuses are still around.
Every election, we hear the same promises, but for many, life stays the same—or even gets worse. Why does this cycle of broken promises continue?
The answer is simple: the system is rigged. It’s not about what’s best for the public; it’s about who can play within a system controlled by wealth and influence—a system that manipulates every lever of power to ensure that, no matter who “wins,” their interests stay protected.
The result? A democracy in name only.
In a real democracy, transparency is essential. People deserve truth and facts:
- Who’s funding campaigns, and what do they expect in return?
- How are media and tech platforms shaping public opinion?
- Are leaders truly serving the public, or just following the agenda of a powerful few?
- How did monopolies gain control over everything that makes our lives difficult?
If people had clear answers to these questions, they could finally end this cycle of failure and manipulation.
A Path Forward: Accountability for Leaders
We need more than minor reforms. We need a citizen-led group focused on holding leaders accountable—the Leadership Accountability Court (LAC). Here’s how it would work:
The LAC would be legislated because that’s what the majority demands. Once in place, it would allow citizens to bring cases of unethical, incompetent, negligent, or biased actions by government leaders, ending the hijacking of democracy by vested interests.
The LAC would operate online, streamlining the process and allowing cases to be filed, reviewed, and resolved within months. This digital approach would ensure that issues are addressed swiftly, keeping leaders accountable in real-time without the lengthy delays typically associated with traditional legal systems.
Citizen juries would review these cases to keep the process fair and transparent. Leaders who fail the public would face real consequences: they’d explain, correct, apologize—or be removed.
The LAC would make leaders accountable to the people they serve, not just during elections but every day. This isn’t just a new system—it’s a real way to end the cycle of broken promises and bring democracy back to the people.
Brilliant, clear, and I love the LAC information.
Your first two questions: Who's finding campaigns and How media/tech companies shape public opinions...are on my mind more and more.
Thank you for your perspective, Christopher.
Your observations are excellent, especially regarding the power of Big Corporations whose only mission is: make profits for their owners. Ethics? Morality? Not so much. Yet, Corporations, which are groups, operate with “private property rights” allowing them to leverage power and money to subvert democracy. Private property rights are an extension of individual rights from birth that come from our Creator, not government. Group rights are “collectivism” and always violate someone else’s individual rights (name one that does not). We have allowed this “Corporatism”, which is CRONY (fake) Capitalism to reach the point now with their own rules and tax system that is unsustainable for the pretense of “Democracy” to continue. The UniParty of Big Gov + Big Corp globalists = fascism. Big Corp buys votes from Big Gov career politicians getting rich while in office while dividing and conquering the voters, amassing more profits and power no matter who wins. Meanwhile, the true source of individual freedom, is eclipsed by the pursuit of money. This is good vs evil. In simplest terms: we all have free will to choose, it is the only thing that cannot be taken away, only surrendered by choice. All the other individual rights are an extension of free will from our Creator when individuals choose to align with Natural Laws regardless of the consequences, knowing that life is short, but eternity lasts forever, and we are spiritual beings with responsibilities to others’ individual rights and freedom. Rights and responsibility, you cannot have one without the other. The solution cannot be automated. It is up to each individual, each day, to choose. To wake up each day is to be “born again” (put back in the fight) to be the change we want to see in the world, to reflect the Truth, the Light, and the Way so that those who are lost may find their way Home. That is why we are here. That is how freedom is won. My question is: what is the best way to take away Corporations’ private property rights (not individual stockholders’ private property rights) and protect the equal individual rights of all freedom loving people?
This sounds good but is it S2D2? Yes it’s more “efficient” by far (which can be good or bad because there are benefits to slowing down as well as there are to speeding up). Who chooses who sits on the jury? It comes back around to “It’s not who votes that counts. It’s who counts the votes that matter.” - Joseph Stalin
Jury Selection and Decision-Making:
The jury of 11 members is randomly selected from the electoral register, with safeguards to ensure impartiality and fairness.
If the initial hearing favours the complainant, a full hearing follows where the RP can present their case.
The jury’s decision is final and cannot be appealed, except in cases of fraud or manipulation.
Inflation is global, US president has nothing to do with it. But try telling that to American voters.
Low wages? Americans have supported massive wealth disparity for decades. Americans like to have millions of workers on minimum wage or reliant on gratuities.
Etc Etc.
What promises have been broken over the last 20, 30, 50 years? By whom?
Oddly, American voters still don't understand that they're part of the rest of the world.
Just wait until Trump imposes 25 percent tarriffs on everything. That's one of the many promises that you folk voted for.
Side by side was much better IMO....what I've never asked, and it hit me today, is the setup.
Is this all done via phones? As in the phone mic and camera?
...because the quality is truly outstanding.
That excited me for the future and the possibilities of on location conversations.
Anyone know the literal setup?
I posted Musings of the Old Gray Mere on Substack for about a year and a half. Loved doing it!
Have been a writer/journalist/editor for 57 years— in NYC, Brussels and elsewhere.
Stripe burrowed into my account almost from the start, blocking financial access to my friends/ followers. Claiming the account was dangerous?? Some people ended up sending me $ in other ways.
And I relentlessly asked both Substack and Stripe to straighten this out, provide specific facts, etc. Nothing was resolved and I was on phones and assorted resources all over, even abroad.
So I shutdown my account. Fed up. Secured my writing. Left Substack.
Anything to be done? Tks.
https://open.substack.com/pub/thedailymemes/p/no-time-for-words?r=kfs8f&selection=3841a6df-fc34-4438-8695-b9d9b68e4480&utm_campaign=post-share-selection&utm_medium=web
Quit elections see the world through a fresh lens https://open.substack.com/pub/callystarforth?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1eq51l
Super interesting conversation. Thanks guys! “WTF just happened?” Ahaha
Given Substack’s stance on free media and freedom of speech, I wonder how the platform views its role in a shifting political landscape—especially as America contemplates the possibility of a Trump re-election. The U.S. might be on a path similar to Hungary’s, where Orban’s government has gradually restricted press freedom and centralized control, effectively silencing dissent. With Hungary now having one of the highest VAT rates in Europe while curbing media freedom, it raises the question: Could platforms like Substack become the last bastions for open discourse if America moves toward political authoritarianism? Or does Substack see any potential risks to its mission if political climates keep leaning in that direction?
Elon? Yikes. What a strange take. Comparing him to Murdoch. You trivialize his accomplishments by comparing him to Murdoch. What a joke. Perhaps the legacy msm made this all happen.
Yep, side by side still better than stacked heads.
I wish I could access transcript in app and restack. Agree with this except for idea that legacy media is goneburgers. It’s the antagonist that all the alternative protagonists are evolving from and measuring themselves against. Batman would be noone without Joker. Fox still drove everyone’s work by calling the election.
Even if Polymarket called it months ago.
No one wants to be only game in town.