What would help with the first version of my idea would be some sort of "regional" bodies between all those reps and congress.
To keep the House at around 500 members, you'd need to break the country up into around 30 regions (and not necessarily by state. Pick more reasonable geographic areas)
One modification to your idea I'd make is abolishing the electoral college. It was put in place to serve the slave masters, and continues to do much the same thing. We need to go back to one person one vote and nothing mucking that up.
The electoral college was a compromise, and part of the reason for it was to make things more "populist". Not exactly democratic.
Please note that the intent was *never* to have a democracy. History is replete with examples of why democracy doesn't work. and the founders were familiar with that.
What the problem is, is that the measures they had in place to make representative government work have mostly been removed (for example, Senators used to be chosen by the state legislatures, not direct vote)
The other part of the problem is that they tried to restrict the franchise (right to vote) to people who were "intelligent" & "responsible".
That's why you originally had to have money, property or be a member of a "profession" (doctor, lawyer various other things).
We aren't supposed to be voting for people who sound good, we are supposed to be voting for people we trust to do the "right thing", even if we might not like that in the heat of the moment.
In short, we are supposed to be electing *statesmen*. Instead we are electing
Comments 9
Reply
To keep the House at around 500 members, you'd need to break the country up into around 30 regions (and not necessarily by state. Pick more reasonable geographic areas)
Reply
Reply
Please note that the intent was *never* to have a democracy. History is replete with examples of why democracy doesn't work. and the founders were familiar with that.
What the problem is, is that the measures they had in place to make representative government work have mostly been removed (for example, Senators used to be chosen by the state legislatures, not direct vote)
The other part of the problem is that they tried to restrict the franchise (right to vote) to people who were "intelligent" & "responsible".
That's why you originally had to have money, property or be a member of a "profession" (doctor, lawyer various other things).
We aren't supposed to be voting for people who sound good, we are supposed to be voting for people we trust to do the "right thing", even if we might not like that in the heat of the moment.
In short, we are supposed to be electing *statesmen*. Instead we are electing
Reply
While we often say that wanting the job should disqualify you, that doesn't mean that you want someone who *doesn't* want the job.
If someone really and truly doesn't want the job, they can *really* fuck things up in revenge.
So you need folks who are willing to serve, but who aren't *seeking* the job.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment