10/17/2013

Revamping the American Political System

So if I had a magic wand and could revamp things 'round these parts, the following are what I would do. At least, here in the midst of my general disgust for every single person in Washington today, this is what I'd do.

  1. There's no reason that with today's technology we can't count actual votes of our citizens. Then people will have to campaign to the people, not just to states who have more seats in the Electoral College.
  2. Related to that: in order to vote you need to produce a U.S. Passport or Active Duty Military ID in conjunction with a driver's license showing your current address. And while yes, military ID doesn't necessarily mean citizen, to me if you're serving our country, you deserve to vote.
  3. Elected political service will not be a valid full-time occupation. It will function more like the National Guard. During your period of service (e.g. when Congress is in session), you will be housed in a barracks with the other elected officials and all your meals will be provided. You will receive a per diem for incidentals and you won't be able to lose your job for needing to report for service. At the end of your term of service, the constituency that elected you will determine how much you will be paid for that service based on how well you represented their wishes whilst in Washington. There will be a standard base pay that everyone gets, but that will represent a median standard for the area you represent and will be just enough to ensure that you can care for your family while serving your country.
  4. The Presidency and Vice-Presidency will, of necessity, be full-time. However, as food and lodging are provided, the country will determine monthly any merit-based bonus to be allotted.
  5. All elected officials will cease receiving payment when services cease being rendered. They'll have to go back to their jobs just like the rest of us. Yes, even Presidents.
  6. There will never be a law enacted that elected officials do not have to follow. Again, these people are just normal citizens providing part-time service to their country, so why would they be an exception?
  7. All departments that are not necessary on a National scale will be disbanded and states will be allowed to regulate without Federal oversight. Off the top of my head, this will include things like Education and Housing and Urban Development. But I'm sure there are zillions of others that would cost less and be more effective if left to the states to manage.
  8. National-level politicians will focus on things like foreign policy and national security.
  9. The government (Federal and State-level) will run on a balanced budget. Should things get out of balance, the elected politicians will remain on duty until they figure out what spending to cut to get back in balance. There will be no such thing as a debt ceiling. Should we be lacking the funds to pay for things needed at home, foreign spending will be the first thing cut.
I'm sure there are a few reasonable holes with the above, but it sounds about perfect to me.

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous12:45 PM

    I absolutely LOVE it Madam President. Cheers!, to you.

    ReplyDelete