- Joined
- Mar 16, 2009
- Messages
- 47,445
- Reaction score
- 53,125
- Location
- Dixie
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Independent
1. Our government is filled brim-full with self-serving highly corrupt politicians of both parties. Those statesmen who truly want the best for the nation as a whole are a small minority.
2. The two parties have a stranglehold on elections... few candidates reach the level of running for national office without being corrupted, and achieving national office without the endorsement of one party or the other is nearly impossible.
3. Entrenched bureaucracies and special interests control more and more of our lives, stealing power that was supposed to go to elected officials theoretically accountable to the voters.
4. Apathy, ignorance and indifference among the populace has lead to less than half of eligible citizens actually voting in a given election. Given that we are so often faced with a choice between the lesser of two evils (two corrupt candidates from the major parties), it is hard to blame them, but it is an abrogation of the citizen's right and duty to participate in self-governance by the principles of our nation.
5. With a combination of biased partisanship and indifference to accuracy, the media cannot be trusted by the voting public.
In short, we're fracked. Frankly, we need to throw the existing system out and start over.
This is of course unlikely barring some kind of utterly disastrous crisis of national proportions far beyond anything we've seen in the past half century... but we might be heading that way if we continue as we are.
So what should we build in its place? A unified government with one law for all, or a loose federation of internally autonomous regions?
Either way, I think there are some principles we need to build the new system upon:
1. Professional politicians invariably result in a corrupted government. Simply put, when politics becomes a lifelong profession, the temptation to corruption becomes almost irresistible, and politicians cease to be "of the people" and become instead "the ruling class"... and as we've seen, they put themselves above the law.
So we don't want professional politicians... term limits are a start but we need to go beyond that. Power tends to corrupt; people who SEEK power tend to BE corrupt. I suggest establishing some baseline standards (ie a simple either/or standard might be: to be qualified for office, one must either have ONE of the following: an advanced degree (masters+) OR have a positive net worth {assets minus debts} exceeding 2x Per-cap GDP, or a minimum 8 years active duty military service... the former indicating intellectual achievement, the second indicating pragmatic financial achievement, the third showing willingness to serve the nation at risk of one's life). Of the qualified, select three candidates for each office at random, plus the incumbent if he is eligible for re-election, and let the People vote their preference. In this manner we retain an element of democratic participation but are more likely to avoid filling the government with self-serving power seekers, or the utterly incompetent. Those selected can refuse to run for office but it costs them their right to vote hereafter... allowing the truly disinterested a way to opt out, but encouraging those with a modicum of civic duty to participate. A limit of two terms in any given office, and not more than four terms in a lifetime. Candidates for President being drawn from those who have already served as Legislators or Governors; candidates for Governor having already served in State Legislature.
A separate set of more stringent requirements for appointment to the Supreme Court in similar random fashion, said court to be expanded to 15 Justices and term of office set at eight years.
2. All campaigns funded from the public treasury in equal measure, no contributions (private or corporate) allowed.
3. Retain the Bill of Rights, but reworded in modern legal English leaving no question as to meaning, which is to be construed in favor of individual rights.
4. No bureaucracy may regulate with force of law without specific Congressional authorization of the individual regulation; no upper-tier bureaucrat may hold his position more than eight years; any bureaucrat may be fired for any reason at any time by executive order or Congressional act.
5. No bill may pass without first being read. No rider may attach that isn't directly relevant to the bill's original purpose.
6. No troops shall engage in combat in a foreign country, except in direct self-defense of American lives, without a formal declaration of war by Congress.
7. Hold the media strictly accountable and liable for outright lies or blatant inaccuracies propagated without due diligence.
Yes, I know this is little more than a thought exercise, but I think it is an interesting one. Comments invited...
2. The two parties have a stranglehold on elections... few candidates reach the level of running for national office without being corrupted, and achieving national office without the endorsement of one party or the other is nearly impossible.
3. Entrenched bureaucracies and special interests control more and more of our lives, stealing power that was supposed to go to elected officials theoretically accountable to the voters.
4. Apathy, ignorance and indifference among the populace has lead to less than half of eligible citizens actually voting in a given election. Given that we are so often faced with a choice between the lesser of two evils (two corrupt candidates from the major parties), it is hard to blame them, but it is an abrogation of the citizen's right and duty to participate in self-governance by the principles of our nation.
5. With a combination of biased partisanship and indifference to accuracy, the media cannot be trusted by the voting public.
In short, we're fracked. Frankly, we need to throw the existing system out and start over.
This is of course unlikely barring some kind of utterly disastrous crisis of national proportions far beyond anything we've seen in the past half century... but we might be heading that way if we continue as we are.
So what should we build in its place? A unified government with one law for all, or a loose federation of internally autonomous regions?
Either way, I think there are some principles we need to build the new system upon:
1. Professional politicians invariably result in a corrupted government. Simply put, when politics becomes a lifelong profession, the temptation to corruption becomes almost irresistible, and politicians cease to be "of the people" and become instead "the ruling class"... and as we've seen, they put themselves above the law.
So we don't want professional politicians... term limits are a start but we need to go beyond that. Power tends to corrupt; people who SEEK power tend to BE corrupt. I suggest establishing some baseline standards (ie a simple either/or standard might be: to be qualified for office, one must either have ONE of the following: an advanced degree (masters+) OR have a positive net worth {assets minus debts} exceeding 2x Per-cap GDP, or a minimum 8 years active duty military service... the former indicating intellectual achievement, the second indicating pragmatic financial achievement, the third showing willingness to serve the nation at risk of one's life). Of the qualified, select three candidates for each office at random, plus the incumbent if he is eligible for re-election, and let the People vote their preference. In this manner we retain an element of democratic participation but are more likely to avoid filling the government with self-serving power seekers, or the utterly incompetent. Those selected can refuse to run for office but it costs them their right to vote hereafter... allowing the truly disinterested a way to opt out, but encouraging those with a modicum of civic duty to participate. A limit of two terms in any given office, and not more than four terms in a lifetime. Candidates for President being drawn from those who have already served as Legislators or Governors; candidates for Governor having already served in State Legislature.
A separate set of more stringent requirements for appointment to the Supreme Court in similar random fashion, said court to be expanded to 15 Justices and term of office set at eight years.
2. All campaigns funded from the public treasury in equal measure, no contributions (private or corporate) allowed.
3. Retain the Bill of Rights, but reworded in modern legal English leaving no question as to meaning, which is to be construed in favor of individual rights.
4. No bureaucracy may regulate with force of law without specific Congressional authorization of the individual regulation; no upper-tier bureaucrat may hold his position more than eight years; any bureaucrat may be fired for any reason at any time by executive order or Congressional act.
5. No bill may pass without first being read. No rider may attach that isn't directly relevant to the bill's original purpose.
6. No troops shall engage in combat in a foreign country, except in direct self-defense of American lives, without a formal declaration of war by Congress.
7. Hold the media strictly accountable and liable for outright lies or blatant inaccuracies propagated without due diligence.
Yes, I know this is little more than a thought exercise, but I think it is an interesting one. Comments invited...