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There is obviously a growing problem in today's politics. Whether it's a disconnect with candidates and elected officials or disenfranchised voters. The US government is IMO one of the most fair systems of governing ever devised in human history. Yet somehow we're seeing a growing corruption within. Is it from indefinite term limits, creating cronyism and career politicians? Is it from virtually unlimited candidate funding, allowing groups of concentrated wealth influence peddling? Is it the lobby's who through unimpeded access gain inside favoritism and no-bid contracts? Is it Party or Partisan Politics unable to compromise relying on ideology more than practical reasoning? I'm curious is it our system of governing that's flawed or are our people too self interested or a little of both? Let the debate begin.
There is obviously a growing problem in today's politics. Whether it's a disconnect with candidates and elected officials or disenfranchised voters. The US government is IMO one of the most fair systems of governing ever devised in human history. Yet somehow we're seeing a growing corruption within. Is it from indefinite term limits, creating cronyism and career politicians? Is it from virtually unlimited candidate funding, allowing groups of concentrated wealth influence peddling? Is it the lobby's who through unimpeded access gain inside favoritism and no-bid contracts? Is it Party or Partisan Politics unable to compromise relying on ideology more than practical reasoning? I'm curious is it our system of governing that's flawed or are our people too self interested or a little of both? Let the debate begin.
Term limits
limiting lobbyists access
We already have that. Every politician is limited to one term unless the voters decide otherwise.
or voting for the same idiots.
I would say "good point". Except you negate that with this previous comment. :roll:
I would say "good point". Except you negate that with this previous comment. :roll:
So you want to take away the right to vote because you think some voters are making the wrong choice?
Some systems within the larger system are broken, but that along with the general dysfunction is the people's fault.
I'm a bland centrist though, so I'll say 'both'.
There is obviously a growing problem in today's politics. Whether it's a disconnect with candidates and elected officials or disenfranchised voters. The US government is IMO one of the most fair systems of governing ever devised in human history. Yet somehow we're seeing a growing corruption within. Is it from indefinite term limits, creating cronyism and career politicians? Is it from virtually unlimited candidate funding, allowing groups of concentrated wealth influence peddling? Is it the lobby's who through unimpeded access gain inside favoritism and no-bid contracts? Is it Party or Partisan Politics unable to compromise relying on ideology more than practical reasoning? I'm curious is it our system of governing that's flawed or are our people too self interested or a little of both? Let the debate begin.
There is obviously a growing problem in today's politics. Whether it's a disconnect with candidates and elected officials or disenfranchised voters. The US government is IMO one of the most fair systems of governing ever devised in human history. Yet somehow we're seeing a growing corruption within. Is it from indefinite term limits, creating cronyism and career politicians? Is it from virtually unlimited candidate funding, allowing groups of concentrated wealth influence peddling? Is it the lobby's who through unimpeded access gain inside favoritism and no-bid contracts? Is it Party or Partisan Politics unable to compromise relying on ideology more than practical reasoning? I'm curious is it our system of governing that's flawed or are our people too self interested or a little of both? Let the debate begin.
Much of this is because we as Americans do not agree on the big issues (though we agree on many or most), and as a result we elect representatives who campaigned on a given platform they thought was their mandate if elected. Then another group displeased with the situation elects another representative on a given platform that was expected to be a mandate. Surprise, surprise, government is divided. We do not agree and have differing views on either the problem or the potential solutions.
It is just that many people are expecting the government as a whole to somehow sidestep that and take enlightened action and solve our problems without pissing too many people off.
There is obviously a growing problem in today's politics. Whether it's a disconnect with candidates and elected officials or disenfranchised voters. The US government is IMO one of the most fair systems of governing ever devised in human history. Yet somehow we're seeing a growing corruption within. Is it from indefinite term limits, creating cronyism and career politicians? Is it from virtually unlimited candidate funding, allowing groups of concentrated wealth influence peddling? Is it the lobby's who through unimpeded access gain inside favoritism and no-bid contracts? Is it Party or Partisan Politics unable to compromise relying on ideology more than practical reasoning? I'm curious is it our system of governing that's flawed or are our people too self interested or a little of both? Let the debate begin.
Well, I'm not disagreeing with you entirely, but it must be remembered that Senators and Representatives are relatively liked by the states or district they represent.
It's just the people of every other state or district that hate the other members of Congress, and mostly because those don't allow their Senator or Representative to implement the policy they represent.
Which was the whole point of having Congress be composed of so many seats in the first place.
Here's the problem I see with the "good ol' boy and gal" two Party system. Let's say an Independent becomes a new member in Congress and wants to vote their conscious on each individual issue splitting Party lines. But the current two Party heads tell them "you either vote our way or you'll sit on the back benches never having any real power, clout or committee position." We'll essentially neuter you and make it very rough to raise any campaign funds in your next election. Fair? Possibly what's part of the problem in today's government?
Well that's not entirely true.
After all, Bernie Sanders is a Senator who was elected on the Independent ticket and he is an avowed democratic socialist. He was a Representative for Vermont from 1991-2007 and a Senator since 2003. Now it's true that he doesn't sit on any of the top tier committees or sub-committees. But that may have more to do with his lack of seniority in the Senate than it does with him being an Independent. Also, the committees he sits on: the Committee on Environment and Public Works, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, the Committee on Veteran's Affairs, the Committee on the Budget, and the Joint Economic Committee - all seems to be issues he's most interested in anyways.
And even though he's an Independent he caucuses with the Democrats because that party most closely resembles his ideology. And the Senate listens to Sanders just as much as they do all the other Senators.
So I don't think the two-party system is quite as conspiratorial as you make it seem.
It'll take more than 2 Independent members out of 535 total to convince me that there's a solid third party alternative.
throughout history, representative governments' detractors have argued that democracy would end when mobs elected demagogues to give them 'free' goodies until the treasury collapsed. the people, they argued, were too shortsighted, and would be unable to give up on free candy now for long term stability.
within a decade or two, we will find out if they were right.
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