I know that many people don't think anything would get done with a representative for every 20,000 Americans (15,000 & change, as of late 2008). Questions would be raised about two major issues - the committee system, and how to apportion the representatives.
Committee System - Obviously, the current committee system would be done for in this vision of democracy. However, let us start with a question - does the committee system work? At best, it's a back door for pet projects and obstructionism. With a new representative structure, a new committee system would emerge, not based on seniority and favoritism, but merit and experience.
District Apportionment - The other obvious criticism is that this system would be ripe for gerrymandering and mismanagement. The control for this would be to remove the human element from district apportionment. GIS (computer based Geographic Information Systems) would apportion districts once every ten years based on population data from the last census. Population would be the only factor in district apportionment. Not which neighborhood would vote for a Democrat or which subdivision would vote Republican - just population, kind of like the Constitution says to do.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Back to Representative Democracy
The first of the fundamental tenants for the reform that America needs is "Direct Representation of the People by Citizen Servants." What does this mean?
The original House of Representatives and the Senate were made up of true citizen servants - people who came to the Capitol once a year for a few weeks to do the business of the people. Then they went home to live with the people that they represented. Today, we have Representatives and Senators that are "servants" in name only. A "lifetime of service" for an elected Washington Representative usually means living most of their life in Washingston, having several residences well above the standard of their constituents, and rarely outside of campaign season do they hold a meaningful conversation with anyone that they allegedly represent.
The House of Representatives currently has 435 members, who are supposed to represent 305,000,000 people. This means each Representative is responsible to vote on behalf of 701,149 people. Is THIS representative democracy?! I don't think so!
Technology has reached a point where it is reasonable to return to citizen servants that represent the people of their community. I believe that each Representative should represent 20,000 people. This would mean 15,250 Representatives. Also, each State should get 30 Senators, not two. Voting would be carried out using a secured network accessible from PC's & cell phones (votes would be cross-validated and checked before finalized). Representatives and Senators would only have to come to Washington once a year, and would spend the rest of their time living with the people they are supposed to represent. They would not be able to make a living off of their career, as pay would be greatly reduced from what it is today. They would have something our current system lacks - accountability to those that they govern.
The original House of Representatives and the Senate were made up of true citizen servants - people who came to the Capitol once a year for a few weeks to do the business of the people. Then they went home to live with the people that they represented. Today, we have Representatives and Senators that are "servants" in name only. A "lifetime of service" for an elected Washington Representative usually means living most of their life in Washingston, having several residences well above the standard of their constituents, and rarely outside of campaign season do they hold a meaningful conversation with anyone that they allegedly represent.
The House of Representatives currently has 435 members, who are supposed to represent 305,000,000 people. This means each Representative is responsible to vote on behalf of 701,149 people. Is THIS representative democracy?! I don't think so!
Technology has reached a point where it is reasonable to return to citizen servants that represent the people of their community. I believe that each Representative should represent 20,000 people. This would mean 15,250 Representatives. Also, each State should get 30 Senators, not two. Voting would be carried out using a secured network accessible from PC's & cell phones (votes would be cross-validated and checked before finalized). Representatives and Senators would only have to come to Washington once a year, and would spend the rest of their time living with the people they are supposed to represent. They would not be able to make a living off of their career, as pay would be greatly reduced from what it is today. They would have something our current system lacks - accountability to those that they govern.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Purpose
The purpose of this blog is simple. I believe that America is headed for bad times, and much of the reason can't be tracked back to the Constitution or the Founders, or the ideals or principals that America is founded on. The reasons can only logically be tracked back to what the American Federal government has become.
The Federal government needs reform, and I believe that I have some proposals that can lead us back to peace and prosperity. There's enough to upset Democrats, Republicans, and the class of ruling Washington DC bureaucrats equally...which probably means it's exactly what we need.
My fundamental tenants are listed on the right at the top of this blog. As days, weeks, and months go on, I'll be fleshing them out to what they would look like in the real world. I hope you'll read along, contribute your ideas, and participate in the dialogue of what America's future should be.
The Federal government needs reform, and I believe that I have some proposals that can lead us back to peace and prosperity. There's enough to upset Democrats, Republicans, and the class of ruling Washington DC bureaucrats equally...which probably means it's exactly what we need.
My fundamental tenants are listed on the right at the top of this blog. As days, weeks, and months go on, I'll be fleshing them out to what they would look like in the real world. I hope you'll read along, contribute your ideas, and participate in the dialogue of what America's future should be.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)