OpenGov.pot
One of the most obvious downsides of seeking greater public input into the government’s agenda-setting process has been the almost inevitable hijacking of this process by groups with their own (often rather radical) agendas to promote. Such groups usually manage to quickly mobilize their supporters, who then visit the site and usually vote en masse ...
One of the most obvious downsides of seeking greater public input into the government's agenda-setting process has been the almost inevitable hijacking of this process by groups with their own (often rather radical) agendas to promote. Such groups usually manage to quickly mobilize their supporters, who then visit the site and usually vote en masse (often from different computers), rendering most campaigns to aggregate public opinion on what the government priorities should be pretty useless.
One of the most obvious downsides of seeking greater public input into the government’s agenda-setting process has been the almost inevitable hijacking of this process by groups with their own (often rather radical) agendas to promote. Such groups usually manage to quickly mobilize their supporters, who then visit the site and usually vote en masse (often from different computers), rendering most campaigns to aggregate public opinion on what the government priorities should be pretty useless.
Those pushing for the legalization of marijuana have so far been the most active hijackers. First, they hijacked Barack Obama’s first virtual public hall, pushing legalization-related questions to the top of the list; now, the same fate has befallen California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s efforts to interact with the community of popular social news site Digg.com.
CNET has more:
As more government officials choose to publicly answer questions submitted by Internet users, they’re encountering a new phenomenon: marijuana activists intent on forcing answers to the would-you-legalize-pot question.
In March, President Obama’s first virtual town hall took a detour when questions about legalizing marijuana were voted to the top of the "financial stability," "jobs," "budget," and (of course) "green jobs" polls on WhiteHouse.gov
On Wednesday, it was California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, who was put on the spot. Digg.com users propelled a legalize-marijuana question to the No. 2 position (behind one asking about what he was thinking when photographed grimacing at President George W. Bush)
I do understand that the legalization of marijuana is an important issue, but I doubt that, in reality, it could top anyone’s list of reform priorities. I am curious as to whether there are any mechanisms to allow the public to continue contributing their input on the most important issues of the day while preventive the most active and sizeable group from gaming the system and thus spoiling the results. Any suggestions?
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