Essay #2: These, Are Who Represent You

Occupy:  My Head  Essay #2

I'm still mulling over Liberty.  I read a few things about it yesterday, and it is both more, and less than I ever thought that it was.  Fascinating.

Today, for our new country, I'd like to discuss political structure.

I like the democratic system that we have.  I really do. 

Starting at the top:  I think it's important to have a figurehead, one person who can speak for our country.  I almost think that 4 year terms are too short in a way, as it would be nice to have a presence in the world, someone that every other country thinks of as our leader.  On the other hand, when we get a real stinker, 4 years, is way too much.  What to do?  I propose perhaps 2 to 4 year terms for our leader, our president, our king.  Call him a king, why not?  It's only for 2 to 4 years!  How to choose him?  More on that in a few paragraphs.

I'll pause here, and mention that I like the theoretical system of checks and balances we have.  So having the same general structure works for me, with the three main arms of federal government.  When functional, they do keep each other in line a bit, even in these very screwed up times. 

I am still in love with the Supreme Court.  Lifetime appointments are still pretty good.  Although, I would like to add a member or two to the mix.  Nothing to literally tip the balance, just one or two people added onto the number we already have.  Perhaps two judges from the states, chosen by election perhaps by the people.  Thereby adding a 'local' flavor to Supreme Court decisions.  These elected Judges would only serve a year or two, then go back home, and give the other states a chance. 

Actually, it would be cool to have all of the states represented in this way.  I realize it would be an expansion of the Judicial arm in a huge way, but it would ensure more representation in that arm.  Why not?  The judges have always made decisions by consensus, just like the House and the Senate.  The minority always submit their dissenting opinions along with everyone else's.  Valid points can be made, recorded, and studied for future debate in this way. 

I rather like this actually.  Fifty judges.  One from each state.  Each with a lifetime appointment.  Chosen by the people perhaps.  I do still think the lifetime appointment for a judge is pretty important.  It tends to raise them above bribery and such. 

Although, what about their family?  I don't know, could you bribe or threaten a judge over his family?  Probably, they are human, and that's a good thing! 

I'll go all rogue here, and propose that our new Judicial arm of the Federal Gov, be comprised of fifty judges, with lifetime appointments,  all unmarried, with no living family members.  So these would mostly be older people.  All of them would live in a Judicial area of the capital city.  They would of course be accessible to the people, so as not to lose touch.

Just an idea.  This is all if and only if we even decide to have a federal level of government.  After all, we could just do with a figurehead person, which I don't see how we can avoid; and all the states give him input on everything through that more local government.  That would be a much 'leaner' way to run it.  In this connected age, is it necessary to send all our representatives to Washington DC?  Couldn't the individual state level branches of government basically take the place of the Representatives and Senators who are normally sent there?  Going to Washington really separates one from the ones you are supposed to be representing anyways.

I really am warming to that idea.  I still like having a panel of Judges though.  Maybe it's just their cool black robes.  I'm a sucker for neat outfits like that.  Kind of like our own wise Jedi knights or something. 

You know what?  I like the idea of getting rid of the Federal level of the House and Senate, in favor of running a similar system from the State Level.  Do you see the correlation?  All the state House members take the place of the Federal ones, same for the Senate.  These members would have 2 or 4 year terms, revocable by the citizens of their district.  There would be no more recall vote petitions.  I want to change that.  People are too apathetic to jump that moat generally.  I think that in our new tech age, that the state members of the House and Senate should have to go through periodic 'votes of confidence' by their constituents.  If they aren't doing their jobs, then they'll lose the vote of confidence, and they are out.  There will be a short process of picking new people from the districts to go to the state capitol, or represent them virtually even.  That would be even better, that way as a representative of the people, you could live in your district full time, and serve them better.  Maybe only visit the capitol in certain times, like a convention once a year or something, to meet all the other members face to face.  ?

It's good to have leadership.  And at the state level, it is needed too.  I think Governors are a good thing.  Except I want to maybe change how they are chosen.  Governors, should be voted in on 2 to 4 year terms, whichever we choose for the term of our state level reps and senators, should be the same for the Governors, and here's where the timing works.  The Governors, are chosen from amongst the Senators and Representatives; by the Senators and Representatives themselves. 

I had been wondering how the heck a huge state could possibly know someone well enough to have that one person represent them all, and it's just not possible.  It is possible to know your representative and senator, especially if they live in the district full time, and travel around the district diligently to know the people they represent.

So everyone can know their own Representatives and Senators, and supposedly trust them.  So those members in turn can vote for the Governor, from amongst themselves, at the end of their terms.  Then at the end of the term, that Representative or Senator, would move up to the office of Governor, for a 2 to 4 year term.  The Governors of the individual states, must in turn be supported by those same periodic votes of confidence, with the same replacement policy. 

Getting back to the Leader, and figurehead of our country, I think that that person should be chosen in the same manner as the Governors, for the same 2 to 4 year term as them, from the group of Governors.  With the same vote of confidence issues, etc. 

So in that way, we could be represented, hopefully more directly and fairly.  And the system of government could be the same, from the local level on up. 

And politicians, at least from the Representative level on up, could have careers of only 6 to 12 years.  Depending on how long we make the terms of each level.  And that would only be one person possibly having the 12 year career.

I suppose we could even do away with a separate House and Senate for each state, if we wanted to go straight democratic representation.  I'd have to see how the system of checks and balances would work in that case, might still work ok.  Like I'm thinking all along here, in our tech age of connectivity, we just don't need a massive government.  Think lean and mean.  With a little being able to take care of a lot.

Of course, being able to live in district, and having no need to campaign for office, since they are restricted to one term, Representatives could work year round, like a real job, getting more done in a year.  Which would probably be necessary, are they would have to take care of decisions for not just their districts, but vote on issues for the whole country as needed.

Locally, counties in the states could run themselves as they see fit. 

In a way, I'm just moving everything down one step.  Getting rid of most of the Federal level of government, and giving most of that power back to the states.  After all, what is the purpose of having everyone in Washington DC?  Back in the day, it was because we didn't have anything like the communication level that we have today.  I see pooling everyone in one city like that, to be wasteful and unnecessary. 

I know I've skipped over lots of stuff.  But I'm a little excited by this idea of doing the states like this.  I won't pretend no one else has ever thought of it, or that I've never read it.  But it feels new to me, so I'm going to bask in that thought for a few minutes. 

Thank you very much.  :) 

I hope all this makes an ounce of sense.

Next time I'll write on something else.  Maybe Liberty, maybe something. 

Cheers, to smaller government, and less waste!