Conflict of the Ideal and the Real

[Hubris Boy]

Originally posted by joemama

In my opinion, the seats in Congress should be distributed to parties based upon the number of votes collected per party on a nationwide scale. This keeps geographic favoritism to a minimum, and it allows the people to have more direct control over their government. The parties themselves should have subelections - based upon the relative selection numbers of a party candidate - to put legislators in the seats.

But wouldn't that give a disproportionately large number of representatives to the northeast and to California? That's the sort of thinking that gave states like Rhode Island and Delaware the heebie-jeebies back in 1789.

I think that the association of Congresspeople to their states encourages corruption and abuse, so I would do away with state based system of representation in the House - but I would leave it in the senate.

Well... what else would they be associated with? This country's name is the United States, after all. Your suggestion reeks of Federalism run amok. I don't want my political interests to be represented by some mouth-breathing troll from the Planet of Manhattan. I want a good, old-fashioned East Baltimore Bulldike representing me in Congress, thanks.

The president should be forced to come to congress on a regular basis and answer questions from the representatives, and the president should be easily removed from office if he/she looses the faith of 2/3 of the congress.

This just gets worse and worse. Listen, Joe... you're confusing the office of the President with that of a mere Prime Minister. George Bush, unlike the Rt. Hon. Mr. Blair, is not primus inter pares, he is the Head of State. He is the head of the Executive Branch of our government, and is co-equal with the Congress- not in any sense subordinate to it. The Dead White Men who set up this system knew what they were doing... ya know, that whole checks and balances thing.

I think that all public officials should have their records and minutes of all conferences put into the public record.

Too ridiculous for comment.

The 2 party system is sickening and should be dismantled

I agree. If you ever have any ideas on how we might accomplish this, please let us know.