How about having Senators be "drafted" from a pool of qualified volunteers.
Perhaps anyone who has tested to 2 standard deviations above the mean on any of the many accepted IQ tests, or have passed an advanced course in government in addition to the current Constitutional requirements. Each state picks their Senator at random from a pool of applicants who meet the requirements and they serve one term and then are DONE.
Citizen representative politicians instead of career ones -totally not beholden to the corporate/union big-$ electoral process. And acting as a counterbalance to the lower house which is. Then let them fight it out with coming to agreement with the bills before they kick it up to the Exec. branch for a signature from the Prez.
I know this is a tongue-in-cheek ideafest, but really, the Senate was meant to protect states' interests against the federal government (and particularly the interest of smaller states against the interests of larger states which dominated the House of Representatives). That, of course, all went out the window back in 1913 with the 17th Amendment... now, the Senate is not really that different from the House.
We don't have a democracy anyway, we have a flawed Republic....smile...
Maybe that is where I am headed, tho. I don't think Americans are ready to lose so much of their symbolic tradition in one fell swoop tho, it will crush their spirit. Look on these planks as a comprehensive retooling. I see the America ahead that has less rights period. This Platform, put all together, will go a long way towards protecting civil rights (that aren't too diluted already) more strongly, enhancing State's rights, while conceding considerable political rights back to the Federal Government. We don't vote often enough to show we care about that aspect anyway. Wait till you see the State's Rights plank before getting too worked up. Thanks!
The Senate was stripped of its purpose by the 16th and 17th amendments. It was originally intended to represent collective state interests, when the federal power could only levy taxes on states proportional to state populations, instead of levying them on individuals directly. States jealously protected their spending power from the other 49 entities who did not share its unique set of interests, and were far better equipped to protect their citizens from fiscal irresponsibility of Congress than individuals. With the passage of the 16th and 17th, federal spending in 1917 exceeded that of 1787-1916 combined, opening the floodgates of government intrusion to daily American life. The defanging of the Senate's purpose did more to damage individual liberty and freedom than virtually any American legal event before or since.
To rectify it, I have another plank that is VERY State's rights, and might do enough on that one issue to make States accept a lot of other coming infringements. I'll mention that plank next, since it fits most topically. Thanks!
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Perhaps anyone who has tested to 2 standard deviations above the mean on any of the many accepted IQ tests, or have passed an advanced course in government in addition to the current Constitutional requirements. Each state picks their Senator at random from a pool of applicants who meet the requirements and they serve one term and then are DONE.
Citizen representative politicians instead of career ones -totally not beholden to the corporate/union big-$ electoral process. And acting as a counterbalance to the lower house which is. Then let them fight it out with coming to agreement with the bills before they kick it up to the Exec. branch for a signature from the Prez.
Crazy thought huh?
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Initiating Force against people to get them to do things is always wrong.
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I know this is a tongue-in-cheek ideafest, but really, the Senate was meant to protect states' interests against the federal government (and particularly the interest of smaller states against the interests of larger states which dominated the House of Representatives). That, of course, all went out the window back in 1913 with the 17th Amendment... now, the Senate is not really that different from the House.
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Maybe that is where I am headed, tho. I don't think Americans are ready to lose so much of their symbolic tradition in one fell swoop tho, it will crush their spirit. Look on these planks as a comprehensive retooling. I see the America ahead that has less rights period. This Platform, put all together, will go a long way towards protecting civil rights (that aren't too diluted already) more strongly, enhancing State's rights, while conceding considerable political rights back to the Federal Government. We don't vote often enough to show we care about that aspect anyway. Wait till you see the State's Rights plank before getting too worked up.
Thanks!
Reply
Reply
To rectify it, I have another plank that is VERY State's rights, and might do enough on that one issue to make States accept a lot of other coming infringements. I'll mention that plank next, since it fits most topically.
Thanks!
Reply
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