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  • Fixing the US government

    You have been given the power the amend the US constitution to change how the governemnt is structured and how election are held (no economics, I don't want this thread do degenerate into a Cap/Com debate).

    The best things we can do is to do reforms that reign in special Intrest groups. The special intrest groups are why the governemnt is so messed up generally. If we had majoritarian reforms like PR, runoff voting, and abolition of the Electoral College, the power of the Special Intrests and legislative "Iron Trianges"(cliques of politicians, beauraucrats, and intrest groups/Big Business that keeps the average person out of the loop of influencing legislation) to decline.

    PR would cause there to be several strong parties instead of two weak parties. Dispite what the average person thinks, strong parties are actually a good thing, since you are no longer worried about candidates keeping thier word because you vote on the party platform and politicians who don't follow thier party platform get sacked or disiplined, and would lessen the influence intrest groups have on individual politicians.

    The executive branch should be weakend. The president should be able to veto, be able to appoint cabnet heads and judges with Senate approval, be chief diplomat, be comander in chief, and nothing more. the cabinent and the Beauracracy is headed by a prime minister, who is also the president of the Senate, and a senator. The president can also dissolve Congress and call an election when 2 years have passed, but an election must be called after 4 years

    The Legislature is still bicameral, the Senate is elected by PR at large, while the House is elected by PR by state (so if in Minnesota there are 4 parties running and all get 25% each party would get 2 of the 8 house seats available). The senate fillibuster is only allowed for court and cabinent appointments.

    The courts are the same as now, except federal judges and SCOTUS justices can serve 15 years or untill they are 70, which ever is shorter.

    The federal structure is retained, but the states must reorganize thier legislatures based on PR

  • #2
    Increase the number of Representatives

    Eliminate the Electoral College

    Runoff voting

    Leave more things to the states

    Broaden the Bill of Rights
    meet the new boss, same as the old boss

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    • #3
      Bush is going to "fix" the US government? Is there a Downing Street memo to that effect?
      "I say shoot'em all and let God sort it out in the end!

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      • #4
        Kill everyone.

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        • #5
          Fire them all and lets all run amock except no killing.... That prolly wont work either. I dont you can fix the goverment because im pretty sure if you do get another one soon enough there will be the B****ers and whiners around again
          When you find yourself arguing with an idiot, you might want to rethink who the idiot really is.
          "It can't rain all the time"-Eric Draven
          Being dyslexic is hard work. I don't even try anymore.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by mrmitchell
            Increase the number of Representatives

            Eliminate the Electoral College

            Runoff voting

            Leave more things to the states

            Broaden the Bill of Rights
            They need to end the winner takes all electoral system and add in proportional electoral votes for real votes. Next they need to outlaw all campaign contributions greater then $100 including soft money and any party which breaks the rule should be banned from running in Federal elections for 5 years.

            The purpose of those three things are to break the two party system and to get some new parties to start offering more choices to voters along with ending the corrupting effects of big money which Bush has turned into an art form. The ban is to punish corrupt officials like Tom Delay and the parties which know they are corrupt but who keep them in positions of power because they love the dirty money their corruption brings.
            Try http://wordforge.net/index.php for discussion and debate.

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            • #7
              How many times do we have to have a thread like this?
              A lot of Republicans are not racist, but a lot of racists are Republican.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Oerdin
                Next they need to outlaw all campaign contributions greater then $100 including soft money
                So then the masses will be even more uneducated about candidate positions.

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                • #9
                  PR would cause there to be several strong parties instead of two weak parties. Dispite what the average person thinks, strong parties are actually a good thing, since you are no longer worried about candidates keeping thier word because you vote on the party platform and politicians who don't follow thier party platform get sacked or disiplined, and would lessen the influence intrest groups have on individual politicians.


                  Oh yeah, because the ending of the 'maverick' politician like John McCain or John Breaux is a good thing . We'd just trade special interests for party bosses.

                  Screw that!
                  “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
                  - John 13:34-35 (NRSV)

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Oerdin


                    They need to end the winner takes all electoral system and add in proportional electoral votes for real votes. Next they need to outlaw all campaign contributions greater then $100 including soft money and any party which breaks the rule should be banned from running in Federal elections for 5 years.

                    The purpose of those three things are to break the two party system and to get some new parties to start offering more choices to voters along with ending the corrupting effects of big money which Bush has turned into an art form. The ban is to punish corrupt officials like Tom Delay and the parties which know they are corrupt but who keep them in positions of power because they love the dirty money their corruption brings.
                    We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution. - Abraham Lincoln

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                    • #11
                      election financing by government only, plz.
                      urgh.NSFW

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                      • #12
                        Teach our children how to think and analyze. This would include in High School basic course(s) in logic and rhetoric, with an introduction to various techniqes using various kinds of media and statistics to distort the truth. Then when these kids see some of these campaign ads, they'll comment "red herring", "strawman", "emotional appeal", etc.
                        The worst form of insubordination is being right - Keith D., marine veteran. A dictator will starve to the last civilian - self-quoted
                        And on the eigth day, God realized it was Monday, and created caffeine. And behold, it was very good. - self-quoted
                        Klaatu: I'm impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it.
                        Mr. Harley: I'm afraid my people haven't. I'm very sorry… I wish it were otherwise.

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                        • #13
                          New Prez and all will be well...
                          (+1)

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                          • #14
                            Open a dutch coffee shop in foyer.

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                            • #15
                              Instant run-off for executive positions.

                              Abolish the electoral college.

                              Senate shall have 100 members, PR, from the nation at large.

                              House shall be PR by state.

                              Increase the number of Reps to something like one for every quarter million people (effectivey doubling the size of the House).

                              Mandatory retirement for judges.

                              Confirmation of judges upon 2/3rd approval of Senate.

                              Give the VP a real job.

                              Public financing for elections, only.

                              Sovreign body amendment, government can't tell you what you can or cannot put in or remove from your body (though you can still be held laible for your actions).

                              Abolish government recognition of marriage: civil unions for all. Let the church deal with marriage.

                              No federal funds for any religious organization, including exemption from taxes.

                              Government shall not interfere in the free excercise of religion except where unwilling or minor participants might be harmed.

                              All children shall attend public school.

                              Nationalize the banks and transportation industries. (Hey, I am a commie. )

                              Abolish all taxes except strong progressive income taxes.

                              Universal, single payer health care.

                              Liveable minimum wage, indexed to inflation.

                              Guaranteed minimum income.

                              Public universities shall be free and open to anyone who can meet the standards.

                              Universal conscription for the military or Peace Corp / Americorp (for consciencous objectors).

                              Strict limitation of corporations to specific goal declared in incorporation. Corporations may not own other corporations nor other companies. Investors do not have limited liability, but are responsible for damages done with their investments. Corporations shall be limited to 20 years, then disolved.

                              Copyrights limited to 14 years.

                              Let's see, anything else? . . .



                              Abolition of private property and the institution of communism.
                              Christianity: The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree...

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