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Comment by anchpop | Hacker News Reader

Presumably your state chose to elect some of the senators who voted unanimously to pass the bill because the electorate trusted their judgement. Sometimes making the best judgement that means consulting with interest groups like airlines, who offer an important service millions of Americans depend on. I'm not sure what you're unhappy about here

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Because public polling regularly shows legislators do what donors want, not voters.

And yet we vote them back into office. What is the solution to this problem?

The solution has been obvious for a long time – politicians must campaign with a fixed budget and no outside special interest financing.

That requires Restrictions on free speech, which would be difficult to do (1A).

New Zealand has political campaign budgets, and limits on airtime. However restricting private citizens is difficult.

There was a significant controversy in the 2005 New Zealand elections regarding budgets. It is alleged US fundamentalists significantly (for NZ lol) funded the Exclusive Brethren Church to produce pamphlets in support of the National Party, by smearing both the Labour Party and the Green Party. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_New_Zealand_election_fund...

Donate more. Be the biggest donor and you will be able to buy the most votes.

Yes, you’ve correctly identified the problem.

Pollings actually shows legislators are exactly in lockstep with voters. For instance, a strong majority of Americans say they would not pay an additional $10 per month in electricity to combat climate change. So legislators faithfully do nothing to combat climate change that would cost voters in any way. You may not like it, and neither do I, but the problem is with the voters rather than the politicians

to be fair a public poll is not exactly representative of the subset of the population that consistently votes.

Where is that research? How could polling show that they do what donors want? Do they poll donors?

I went to the ballot and saw someone running for Senator who I had never heard of, against other people who I had never heard of

And the other Senator ran unopposed for a party different from my Presidential ticket pick, but not like that matters because my state is too populated for my vote to have the same weight, or any weight, in the outcome

Tell me again why my state chose anything?

If you've never heard of your states senators, that's pretty sad. I knew who my state's senators were when I was like 6, or at least the senator for my district.

There's only two of them, you can definitely learn about them.

This does not make the rest of your comment untrue.

I knew at least one of them at least one at one point in time, and I didn't even live in that state then. I would say its pretty sad you're in the same place you were since you were 6.

I guess the point is that we don't know anything about each other and can't make any conclusion really, except that states don't choose anything with any coherent rationale because the individuals are on just as wide of a spectrum of awareness and lack of choice.

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