The democratization of web technology is supposed to enable more, rich, meaningful connections between individuals and allow flat groups to emerge based on commonalities. In the case of Congress, tech allows individual representatives to meet with and engage much larger percentages of their constituencies than ever before.
Phone records, PDA calendars, email – all are public domain and can be updated in real time. "Leaders" should be pushing for more accountability and transparency through this tech – built entirely without their help. Instead, the ultra elite inside are focused on making Congress as fundamentally unrepresentative as possible by shutting down members’ ability to engage their constituencies. (They see the writing on the wall. Power diffusion renders them useless.)
Someone should take the ability to legislate tech away from everyone involved in this debacle.
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[...] a Washington energy security analyst and blogger, dismissed them as a prescription for a “Congressional walled garden.” Mashable.com ’s Mark Hopkins flatly derided the intent, stating, “The upshot is [...]
Pajamas Media ยป Congress Debates Muzzling Congressmen Online added these pithy words on Jul 14 08 at 2:11 am
