Jason Smith • Did You Know

Did You Know

That the White House has an official petitioning program on their website. Yes, one of our fundamental constitutional rights, the right to petition, is a part of the digital strategy they employ.

You are able to create a petition for whatever you want, and then others are able to digitally sign your petition. Once it reaches a certain threshold the White House will provide an official response. This brings a new level of transparency to the petitioning process, and feels better than sending a letter or email because you can see your progress.

Never-minding issues about digital free speech inequality based on access to computers/internet. I would like to see similar approaches taken by leadership in the House and Senate.

This lends to a more Democratic way of sourcing public views and is a step removed from public interest groups though not immune to their influence. I will also say that I am not entirely convinced that our government should always be concerned with the majority opinion, but that I am all for clear ways of ensuring that those in power are aware of where its citizens stand on a given issue.

A caveat: In general, I prefer to lean towards utilitarian and egalitarian policy based decision making, but do recognize its short comings when protecting minority groups and opinions.