Hi Carl,
You raise a number of good points and they deserve further discussion.
IMO, there are serious structural problems with the US system that alienate a lot of people on all sides and prevent progress and change. I am not in favor of the traditional parliamentarian system. But that does not mean there is no room for improvement here. So in no particular order, here are my solutions:
(1) The scope of the election should match the scope of the office.
If a position is expected to represent the State, then every vote within that state should count equally. If it is a national representation, then every vote on the country should count towards it. In other words, no gerrymandering and no "quota system."
Furthermore, and yes I am aware of the Constitution, smaller states should not get a smaller number of representatives; rather everyone in the country should be allowed to vote for X representatives (I'd say 3) then we will simply pick the top 435 vote gainers. And if there is a state without a representation, then it will get to send in its most popular candidate.
(2) The citizens get to support their candidates - foreigners and corporations get to butt out.
This means that lobbyists, PACs, etc, cannot buy off politicians. The position of a lobbyist will then become akin to that of "friend of the court". They can write up papers and influence opinions, but they cannot buy it off the bat.
(3) A National Campaign Infrastructure
There should be a limit to campaign contribution and the media as well as the government should provide appropriate level of support for all candidates who surpass a certain threshold. Having more money should not buy you votes. Among other things, as part of the standard campaign platform, candidates should face every single one of their promises and state why they were unsuccessful in delivering what they had promised.
(4) There should be a limit as to how quickly a high ranking public servant can go work for big business. The is to prevent buying off public servants with promises of high paying jobs down the road. I don't have an easy solution for this, but I am sure people smarter than I can find a way.
Do the above and you will restored faith in the political system. IMO the main problem is the wide spread lack of belief in the system that leads to apathy. Of course, if you are in the elite and are having a blast, public apathy and ignorance suites you just fine. For the rest of us, the above is a roadmap.
As to the ick factor of Dems vs Reps, I used agree with you. But no I don't see why Kennedy or Clinton is any more icky than Gingrich or Limbaugh.
ST |
