OKay, people. I go away for the Great Nutty Spring Leg-Shaving Event, and we go 100 posts into madness and indecision!
What are we fighting about, here? I really suspect the issue is that not enough people care for 3 or 4 to make either one the choice. When people have said 3, or 4, on this thread, they've mostly said "shorter time" but not particularly differentiated between 3 and 4, except inasmuch as they break up the year into different fractions. (I tend to see an edge for 3 in this instance, because several people have mentioned that doing things every 1/3 of a year is weird.)
The preferential voting thing causing a lot of anger and craziness over something that is, at best, peripheral to the question at hand. I suggest we drop it for now just so we can get the actual proposal, which is actually on the floor, to a vote.
I like Cindy's ballot, but I would modify its phrasing to seem less fatalistic:
" After a proposal, discussion and vote, further discussion on a given matter should be closed for 6 months some time. If this initiative passes, we agree at three months from the day (date) the poll closes, to take a vote of confidence on this decision (only), to see if we think 6 months is too long, too short, or just right. Should this time period be longer or shorter?
Yes ______ ( ) shorter -- 3 or 4 months
No ______ ( ) longer -- 6 months
No Preference ______
Whatever the results, we will revisit this decision in three months (July 1, 2003) to take a vote of confidence on this decision (only): to see if the 'moratorium' time period we voted in is too long, too short, or just right."
I tend to agree that 6 months will win, unless there's a groundswell I don't know about. But that allows the "vaguely 3 or four 4" crowd to coalesce around the single idea of shorter, exactly how short to be determined later. In fact, My suggestion is based pretty solidly on something Sophia suggested 3 days ago, that I liked, but I've taken out the simplified preferential part of it. So, thanks Sophia.
Going Forward
On a technical note, I think it worthwhile that the proposer of a proposal be the one who (a) writes the initial proposal; (b) writes the final proposal after 4 days of Light Bulb; and (c) makes the announcements in Press. It clarifies where the onus lies (and takes it off Sophia's shoulders, unless it's her proposal). The incentive for clear and easy ballots is that you won't get a minimum turnout if nobody can understand the ballot. Or everyone will vote for Pat Buchanan, and then the apocalypse will commence.