[abtinf]

> we need to get money out of politics.

We need to get the power out of politics.

[cjs_ac]

Politics is about deciding who gets to exercise power and what they get to do with it. Politics detached from power is just pointless squabbling.

[mothballed]

It's not, since voluntary transactions can happen as a result of said squabbling without resorting to the violence of 'power.' Maybe we need more of that and less of ramming decisions down the throats of the powerless.

[nkmnz]

So how about exercising less power?

[CodingJeebus]

What is money if not a proxy of power? If money didn't buy power, no one would be interested in attaining billions in wealth.

[limagnolia]

What is politics if not a means of exercising power? If there were no power in politics, no one would be interested in politics.

[cess11]

"no one would be interested in attaining billions in wealth"

Sounds good to me.

[terminalshort]

They are obviously related, but it is a very loose correlation. If a billionaire (who does not pay me) gives me an order I will laugh in his face. If a traffic cop gives me an order, I will comply.

[Barrin92]

>What is money if not a proxy of power?

for a lot of people in the newly rich class, a kind of virtual currency best compared to a high score in a videogame. Symbolic and representing status. It's why when they attempt to translate it into power this particular class thankfully fares fairly badly, from the article:

"TogetherSF, a similar nonprofit backed by venture capitalist Michael Moritz, crashed and burned after the 2024 elections when its $9.5 million ballot measure to reform the city charter lost to a progressive counter-measure backed by about $117,000."

[Daishiman]

Power exists whether you like it or not and when power gets away from decisionmaking you just generate a power vacuum.

Power needs to be placed in the hands of better decision-makers. That starts from getting money out of politics.

[snihalani]

I wish we had direct voting on important decisions

[jandrewrogers]

This has proven to be a disaster in practice. See also: California.

[podgietaru]

Brexit.

[Analemma_]

Hell no, California has this and it’s a catastrophe. Prop 13 is one of the worst policies enacted by a democratic polity in the 20th century, and has been wrecking the state for decades.

[xixixao]

All reactions are taking this comment seriously, but I think it can be also read as "money equals power" (which I strongly believe - there's some power without money and sometimes money without power, but mostly those two are fungible) - and then pointing to the futility of getting money out of politics, since politics is about power.

But really what people mean is "prevent paid political advertisement of all kinds", which seems about as hard as "get rid of all kinds of advertisement" - at some point, you're back to power, communication, attention.

Hard problems. Probably there's a reason all ancient democracies did not survive.

[bigyabai]

Once you figure that out, get to work on the flying pig.