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Here is an excellent piece from Time magazine. Are America's Best Days Behind Us? The most cogent point in this piece is that when it comes to reform in America, our politicians are busy squabbling over crumbs because nobody has the courage to bring up entitlement and defense spending reform on the floor of Congress. Where is the Tea Party on this? Nobody is talking about the four programs, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Defense, that amount to two thirds of Government spending. They are squawking about cutting $100 billion when we are facing a deficit this year that is 16 times that amount. Talk about fiddling while Rome burns. I am writing my congressman and I hope everybody else is too.I would gladly take a cut in retirement pay and benefits if I thought for a second that the folks in Congress would spend the resulting savings wisely. Sadly, they have a proven record of not being trustworthy with the wealth of our nation. Once again, this is an issue that the Tea Party could and should make their own. It would certainly establish their fiscal bonafides would it not? It is time to have some adults running the country instead of a bunch of children arguing about who has too many marbles. The fact is, we all have too many marbles, or at least more marbles than we can afford. I am also going to post about this on my blog with links to congressional addresses.
We are making it our own. We also know the reality that there are no guts found anywhere in DC. Case in point: Bachmann, the self-designated leader of the Tea Party caucus, wants to take the 105B for Obamacare and transfer it to Medicare and S.S. Why? This isn't a cut. It's just a transfer of funds. That's certainly not what Rep. Ryan is proposing.
I would love to see Senators and Congressmen selected by lottery from among registered voters in their district. How much do you think would get done then if people did not have to spend so much time and energy campaigning for reelection?
Or just do like the Greeks did, term limits and every citizen serves at some point in their lives.
Wouldn't essentially the same thing be achieved by a lottery? I know I would not want to waste 2-6 years of my life on Capitol Hill. They should probably reduce their salary to barely above subsistence level and provide in-office apartments and subsidized commercial ari-fare home during recesses. They could even peg their salary to that of the military with congressman getting say PFC pay and senators getting SPC pay and no bonuses.
Or just do like the Greeks did, term limits and every citizen serves at some point in their lives.
Wouldn't essentially the same thing be achieved by a lottery? I know I would not want to waste 2-6 years of my life on Capitol Hill. They should probably reduce their salary to barely above subsistence level and provide in-office apartments and subsidized commercial ari-fare home during recesses. They could even peg their salary to that of the military with congressman getting say PFC pay and senators getting SPC pay and no bonuses.
Wait, isn't the idea to have more able and better representation? You're almost describing conscription which, from personal experience, doesn't really bring out the best in people.I agree that you shouldn't need to be rich to be elected but you also shouldn't be forced to serve either.
Then how abut a variation on Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers method. Where you can only vote if you have demonstrated civic responsibility by military or civil voluntary service for some retarded amount of time. We will say ten years minimum to get the franchise; or a property qualification? There has to be a better way to pick both voters and representatives than just being a citizen, breathing and of age.
Then how abut a variation on Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers method. Where you can only vote if you have demonstrated civic responsibility by military or civil voluntary service for some retarded amount of time. We will say ten years minimum to get the franchise; or a property qualification? There has to be a better way to pick both voters and representatives than just being a citizen, breathing and of age.
This was a very hot topic in Turkey after the last election. A model ( 🙂 I kid you not ) said after the government got 47% of the pop. vote that "what kind of a democracy is this? My vote is the same as a goat herder's!" I know what you're saying is very different from elitism but it is a slippery slope when you get to exclude someone or another. I agree its sometimes its frustrating and it has its faults but I still can't think of a better way. At least not yet.
That only the landed have the vote was actually not an uncommon thing in the past. In 19th century Prussia there was a 3-tiered voting system from the aristocracy/landed nobility, bourgeois, and the educated/civil servants. It actually worked quite well until the Marxists came along. I would not be averse to poll tests either. Of course, poll tests would exclude the poor and uninformed, but isn't that the point of a poll test n the first place?
What would be the definition of “land owner” What if you rent? You don't technically own the land. What about college students who live in a dorm or (heaven forbid) with their parents?I think their should be more stipulations on who can vote, but I think there would be a lot of hoops to jump through.
It is simple, a land owner is the person who holds the deed, but only if the property does not have any liens on it. That would put people with a mortgage out until they own their place free and clear. I would also add a minimum holding requirement, like a 5th of an acre with house or something at a minimum. Much Like my wife and I hold the deed to our house, it is paid for.
