For this iteration of my series in civics, I'd like your input. Which of the previous suggestions made here do you believe would deliver the greatest benefit?
* 2014: Establishing mandatory term limits for members of Congress
* 2015: Abolishing the Electoral College, i.e., using the popular vote to elect the President
* 2016: Revising the wording of the 2nd amendment to reflect contemporary realities
* 2017: Setting an age limit for the President using evolving science re average onset age of dementia
* 2018: Converting one of the fifty states into a self-governing territory for white supremacists
* 2021: Ending the term of any Supreme Court Justice caught sleeping during sworn testimony
* 2024: Requiring every individual on the national presidential ballot score 100% on a standardized test re the U.S. constitution
Only the 2021 suggestion is "new". That time I requested you first send your ideas before I revealed my own. The post that year was met with radio silence. I then kept my promise, petulantly holding onto my brilliant notion until this moment.
What do you say? BTW, any of the seven earlier posts in full are available upon request. Yeah, right.
Definitely 2015 - Abolish the electoral college!
ReplyDeleteInes; Thanks for responding. Based on several other early offline responses I've received, I think you're in good company here.
DeleteLots of wonderful suggestions here, most undoable of course, but that doesn't diminish their appeal. I really like the idea of herding all the white-supremacists into one state, though I'm not sure how we could get all the closet bigots to move there. Term limits are definitely a great idea, as is abolishing the electoral college. One thing that hasn't been suggested is a requirement for all citizens to vote or pay a fine if they do not. That would encourage people to try to learn more about who is running and what they stand for. The basis for a good democracy is getting as many people involved in the process as possible. If I were the grand poobah, I would make all young people devote a year to public service at some point between the ages of 17 and 21. Let them join the military, work in a daycare center or nursing home or mental institution, deliver food to the needy. There is so much that needs to be done. And let's have them do it living somewhere other than in their own comfortable town or city. Transport them to another place where they can meet people whose religious/politcal beliefs or skin color may be different color from their own. This would not only help young people mature and expand their world, but it would instill in them the notion that one has to pay materially (as in giving up a year of one's life) to live in this great democracy. Too many people take this country for granted and never have to sacrifice even a moment's attention to how amazingly well the system, for all its flaws, has worked. I want young folks to know they have skin in the game and if they are not careful it could all go to hell in a handbasket.
ReplyDeleteJim; Thanks for two comments in one day. Both posts appeared to have spoken to you enough to write about expansively. BTW, there were several ideas in my 2018 post on ways to persuade those white supremacists to move to the self-governing territory. Maybe when I see you in late February, we can flesh out my nascent notion enough to convince Congress to act on it. To quote Brian Wilson - "Wouldn't That Be Nice?"
Delete2021 made me laugh. I say all of them.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous; Always pleased to know I made someone laugh. Thanks for the comment.
Delete