Richard G. Epstein

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COMPUTER SYSTEM EARNS

HIGH GRADES AS COUNTY

SUPERVISOR ON LONG ISLAND

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"THE SUPE" DEFEATED TWO

HUMAN OPPONENTS IN

NOVEMBER ELECTION

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A Computer as President

is Serious Topic of Discussion

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Special to the Sentinel-Observer

by

Malcolm Moore

Political Science Reporter

If you make an appointment to meet with the County Supervisor in Nassau County, Long Island, New York, you are in for a great surprise. The County Supervisor is a computer program, affectionately called 'The Supe'. The Supe is earning high praise from both Republicans and Democrats.

The Supe is a Democrat, or at least, the Supe was elected last November after running as a Democrat against two human candidates, a Republican and a Libertarian. The Supe is an amazing piece of modern technology that was developed by PoliSci Research Associates here in Silicon Valley. The Supe was developed by a research team that was headed by political scientist Dr. Andy Conat.

Dr. Conat discussed the theory behind the development of The Supe and the prospect that computers might eventually become governors, senators and even presidents.

"At first The Supe was the butt of jokes," Dr. Conat told this reporter in a teleview interview, almost with a tinge of bitterness. "But, the theory behind The Supe is quite sophisticated. You will have to excuse me, but I always get somewhat messianic when it comes to this subject. You see, we are trying to challenge the faulty assumption that underlies the republican form of government. We feel that systems like the Supe can give us a truly democratic form of government, a real government of the people, for the people, and by the people."

Dr. Conat went on to explain that western democracies were actually republics and that the idea of a republic can be traced back to Plato. "Now, sitting here, talking like this, it seems really strange that we should allow ourselves to be governed by a system that was developed by some Greek philosopher who lived over two thousand years ago. But, that's the situation that developed historically and you and I are stuck with it."

Dr. Conat continued: "Plato's idea was that people would elect representatives who were their moral and intellectual superiors, a concept that I find completely laughable."

Dr. Conat explained that this flawed concept, that elected officials must somehow be more wise and more virtuous than the general populace, finally started to die away during the 1980s and 1990s. "By the time of the Reagan presidency in the 1980s, the Platonic republican ideal was being challenged by the idea that a president, a governor or a senator could be so finely tuned to the will of the people, that he could suppress his own personal biases in favor of expressing that will."

Dr. Conat indicated that this trend away from the republican ideal of Plato towards true democracy continued during the period 2000-2020. "I think by 2010 we finally were free of those idealistic, mealy-mouthed politicians who tried to stand for something independent of the popular will. By that time it became apparent that true politics was about measuring the public will and molding politicians so that they could become the embodiment of that will. And that's where the Supe comes in."

Dr. Conat smiled a broad grin. He was clearly warming to his subject. "You see, the Supe is the perfect embodiment of the will of the people! The Supe embodies that will perfectly, I repeat perfectly, in a way that only a computer could, because the Supe is continuously wired into the Global Landscape. The Supe continuously monitors and filters information coming in over the Global Landscape. Do you see the beauty of it? The Supe literally mirrors the mind of the people. The Supe is the people in some sense. Thus, the Supe represents true democracy. No more of those mealy-mouthed, moralizing idealists who are trying to represent our better natures. No! The Supe is us!"

There is some overlap in the technology behind The Supe and the technology behind PoliTrend, PoliSci Research Associates' fantastically accurate political forecasting system. The Supe continuously monitors electronic communications over the Global Landscape consistent with the legal framework established by the Global Landscape Freedom of Information Act. The GL-FIA, which was passed into law in 2013, allows communications over the Global Landscape to be monitored for "impersonal content", that is, all participants in the Global Landscape are permitted to create intelligent agents that scour the Global Landscape for information so long as personal privacy is not compromised in any serious way. These intelligent agents are even permitted to decrypt encrypted data so long as that data remains anonymous.

The Supe was designed to constantly monitor Global Landscape communications so that it continuously reflects the beliefs and wishes of the people of Nassau County. Dr. Conat put it this way: "We strove for PERFECTION, that is, we wanted the Supe to be a PERFECT embodiment of the will of the people, not deviating one iota from what the people want and deserve. Thus, the Supe allows us to achieve our goal, the creation of a true democracy. Nassau County is just the beginning. I think it is well known that we are currently working on a computer program called the Prez, the perfect embodiment of the will of the American people."

PoliSci Research Associates has contributed millions of dollars to a lobbying group called Amendment Thirty-Two. The purpose of the proposed thirty-second amendment to the US Constitution would be to allow a computer to serve in Congress and to serve as President. According to a Gallup poll only 19% of the people are in favor of the proposed amendment, but this is up 5% since the Supe took office last January.

"The Supe has earned high marks since it was inaugurated," Dr. Conat remarked. "Even the Republicans, who opposed its election, are admitting that the Supe is doing a much better job of managing resources, especially those tight tax dollars, than their own candidate could have. They are planning to run their own computer program against the Supe next time around. I think that by 2035 or maybe 2040 we will get the thirty-second amendment passed and we can have true democracy here in America."