On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 12:36:57 -0400, Anthony DeRobertis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
said:
> On Tuesday, Oct 14, 2003, at 05:53 US/Eastern, Manoj Srivastava
> wrote:
>>> As i understand it, a majority is 50% +1, while anything else is a
>>> super-majority. There is no such thing as a 75% majority or a 60%
>>> majority. These are super-majorities, since they are clearly more
>>> than a majority.
>>
>> Then your understanding is incorrect.
>>
>> 2. The greater number; more than half; as, a majority of
>> mankind; a majority of the votes cast. [1913 Webster]
> So, then, 51% would be enough, but proposals A and C require
> 3:1. That's more than a majority; hence, supermajority.
Does no one look at definitions any more? A 51% supermajority,
or a 99% supermajority, are both majorities, and equally valid.
A supermajority is merely a majority where you explicitly
state how much the major part has to be compared to the whole (like,
50.0001% super majority)
> More important than arguing over definitions is, I think,
> consistency. Let's just pick one of the words for the GR. Using both
> words makes the reader wonder if there is a sane reason to do so,
> and he starts trying to figure out how a "3:1 majority" is different
> from a "3:1 supermajority". It seems to be fairly normal and
> expected to used the same word consistently in technical and legal
> documents (unlike novels, for example). I suggest we do so.
Well, kinda late in the game, no? The discussion period
started 2 weeks ago, and this was immediately preceded by *MONTHS*
where contributions and critiques were invited.
manoj
thinking about consistency and hobgoblins
--
When a Banker jumps out of a window, jump after him--that's where the
money is. Robespierre
Manoj Srivastava <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
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