The Democratization of Lawmaking: A New Era of Direct Participation

Over the weekend, a word spread on Reddit that a group of users were crafting their own law to be potentially put forth as a bill that could then eventually become a law over citizens' rights to the internet and accessing the internet and what they could do on the internet and their rights really. This law or potential law was being drafted in real-time by redditors from around the world, with it available on Google Docs for people to view as changes were being made. It was truly spectacular to see something like that happening.

The idea of creating a new law through direct participation is not new, but what makes this particular instance remarkable is that it's happening in real-time, without the need for traditional political channels. This raises an interesting question: why can't we use the internet to have our voices heard, beyond just voting? The creator of this law, which has been dubbed "the Reddit Law," aims to give citizens a direct say in how they want their rights protected online.

This concept is not isolated; there are several other initiatives working towards similar goals. One such project is the Internet Blueprint Project, aimed at giving American internet users a political voice. Another example is Public Knowledge, an organization fighting for consumers' rights, which has been instrumental in supporting this kind of grassroots effort. It's clear that these projects share a common goal: to empower citizens and give them a direct say in how their rights are protected.

The implications of such initiatives are profound. Imagine being able to know the true sentiment of your community in real-time, without having to wait for something to go up for a vote. This is what makes this project so exciting – it's not just about giving citizens a voice; it's also about giving them control over how their rights are protected.

Of course, there will be those who disagree with this approach. Some might argue that traditional democratic processes are necessary for ensuring accountability and representation. But the argument is that these processes can be slow and cumbersome, often taking years to result in meaningful change. By using the internet as a platform for direct participation, we can potentially speed up the process and ensure that citizens' voices are heard more quickly.

The creator of this project is grateful for the support of friends like Art Brodsky, who has been instrumental in promoting these initiatives. Public Knowledge is another organization that shares this vision, working tirelessly to fight for consumers' rights and promote a more democratic internet.

As the future of lawmaking becomes increasingly digital, it's clear that this is not just a novelty; it's a fundamental shift in how we approach governance. Instead of relying on elected officials to make decisions on our behalf, we're taking matters into our own hands. This may seem like a radical idea, but it's also incredibly empowering – who wouldn't want to be able to participate directly in shaping the laws that affect their lives?

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthank you for watching liking commenting sharing and subscribing right now over the weekend uh there was a word being spread on Reddit that a group of users were crafting their own law uh to be potentially uh put forth at least as a bill that could then eventually become a law uh o over the citizens right uh to the internet and accessing the internet and what they could do on the internet and their rights really and this law or potential law was being drafted Ed in real time uh by redditors from around the well at least around the country uh and and they had it on Google Docs and were allowing people to view it as as changes were being made and it was really kind of spectacular to see something like that happening can you imagine a world where we could do something like that instead of electing politicians to pass laws we could basically use the Democratic process to come up with laws that could benefit the greater good now of course there going to be people who would disagree with one way or another but think about that would you not want to participate and get behind a law that basically guaranteed your rights as far as the internet was concerned no matter what country you were from uh well if you take a look at the link that we've provided here in the description uh We've explained something that is similar in nature uh the internet blueprint project it aims to give American internet users a political voice and there are a few services that are coming about doing things just like this uh and I'm very grateful uh that my friend uh art Brodsky who I met I think it was a few months back in Seattle when he came out here in conjunction with a I think it was a a group to talk about things that were happening on Capitol Hill he's from public knowledge and if you've never been to that website public knowledge. org uh helping fight the good fight for consumers people like you and me uh in the internet blueprint pro project uh is a great idea this is the future of the law the future of our country instead of going to polls and and and having to go through these Draconian processes to to have our voice heard why can't we use the internet to not necessarily just vote but to say yeah that's what we want to pay attention to right now this is what we want instead of electing one person not not saying that we're going to overthrow the government okay I think we do need officials in those positions of power but instead of just handing over the Reigns to them we now have the opportunity to kind of keep a a hold of those Reigns and reain them in uh in its uh projects like the internet blueprint project that are helping make it possible so they're giving you a voice take a look this is a pretty amazing thing guys it's the future of democracy and it's here right now uh God willing this this type of thing catches on on this is this is really good news this is amazing news uh to be able to know really true sentiment of everybody in my community instead of having to wait for something to to go up for a vote I can know in real time what my neighbors want uh what my state wants what my city wants what my country wants I mean who would not want this well the people in control because that's basically putting the people in controlthank you for watching liking commenting sharing and subscribing right now over the weekend uh there was a word being spread on Reddit that a group of users were crafting their own law uh to be potentially uh put forth at least as a bill that could then eventually become a law uh o over the citizens right uh to the internet and accessing the internet and what they could do on the internet and their rights really and this law or potential law was being drafted Ed in real time uh by redditors from around the well at least around the country uh and and they had it on Google Docs and were allowing people to view it as as changes were being made and it was really kind of spectacular to see something like that happening can you imagine a world where we could do something like that instead of electing politicians to pass laws we could basically use the Democratic process to come up with laws that could benefit the greater good now of course there going to be people who would disagree with one way or another but think about that would you not want to participate and get behind a law that basically guaranteed your rights as far as the internet was concerned no matter what country you were from uh well if you take a look at the link that we've provided here in the description uh We've explained something that is similar in nature uh the internet blueprint project it aims to give American internet users a political voice and there are a few services that are coming about doing things just like this uh and I'm very grateful uh that my friend uh art Brodsky who I met I think it was a few months back in Seattle when he came out here in conjunction with a I think it was a a group to talk about things that were happening on Capitol Hill he's from public knowledge and if you've never been to that website public knowledge. org uh helping fight the good fight for consumers people like you and me uh in the internet blueprint pro project uh is a great idea this is the future of the law the future of our country instead of going to polls and and and having to go through these Draconian processes to to have our voice heard why can't we use the internet to not necessarily just vote but to say yeah that's what we want to pay attention to right now this is what we want instead of electing one person not not saying that we're going to overthrow the government okay I think we do need officials in those positions of power but instead of just handing over the Reigns to them we now have the opportunity to kind of keep a a hold of those Reigns and reain them in uh in its uh projects like the internet blueprint project that are helping make it possible so they're giving you a voice take a look this is a pretty amazing thing guys it's the future of democracy and it's here right now uh God willing this this type of thing catches on on this is this is really good news this is amazing news uh to be able to know really true sentiment of everybody in my community instead of having to wait for something to to go up for a vote I can know in real time what my neighbors want uh what my state wants what my city wants what my country wants I mean who would not want this well the people in control because that's basically putting the people in control\n"