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Topic:
How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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Darth-Ghost
Registered:
Oct '03
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Date Posted:
9/28/07 7:43pm
Subject:
How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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For many people, whether or not the U.S. government should be reformed isn't a question. To them, including me, the question is how should it be reformed? Most people believe that there are some parts of the American government that are too slow, inefficient, or completely broken and corrupted. What could be done to fix the faults that exist in the government, without completely trashing the constitution and writing a new one? Though some of these proposals would definitely need to be presented as amendments to the constitution!
Here are some of my ideas, to get this topic started:
-compulsory voting for every citizen
-term limits for all elected officials, or perhaps enforce a 2-term break to prevent consecutive terms and force them to focus on the long-term
-mandatory education of the government required in all curriculum
-keep lobbyists and special-interest groups out of the law-making process, restrict corporate and "big business" power, outlaw "pork" spending
-campaign reform, give each candidate equal amount of money they can use for advertisement, giving poorer and lesser-known candidates an equal opportunity
-simplify the bureaucracy, tax and budget reform
-allow national referendums on important issues
-crack down on corruption, allow the law enforcement to scrutinize all those in political office more closely, as part of the deal of becoming a government official
-Perhaps change how representatives are elected to the House (but keep the Senate the same here). Instead of being elected by state, do a national census before each election on what percentage of the people are aligned to which party. Translate that percentage of each party into how many seats they would then have in the House. During the elections for the House, people choose one party and select their top choice for that party. The candidates with the highest votes in each party then fill in their space of seats (already determined by the census) in the House.
Some of these ideas are very dramatic and different from what we have today, but a lot are common sense I think. So what do you like? What don't you like?
This kind of topic always interests me; I’ve made similar (though different) threads like this a while ago. I know the government isn’t functioning properly, and think most people do, but how to fix it and make a better government? This thread isn’t really about what we wish the government’s policy on certain issues (like Iraq, immigration, healthcare, gun control) should be, but on how the government could actually work better than it presently does.
Feel free to post your own ideas!
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Lowbacca_1977
Title: Senate Moderator
Registered:
Jun '06
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Date Posted:
9/28/07 8:31pm
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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I'd disagree on most of that, mix of disagreeing with the idea (compulsary voting) or practicality (not seeing how one could really outlaw 'pork' spending)
As for key reforms that I'd like as far as how gov't itself runs...
I'd like to see a requirement that the budgets put forward be balanced and a general reduction in beuracracy across the board.
certainly more transparency when it comes to spending, though i'd be hesitant to make a suggestion as to how to do so, though.
Regarding your campaign ideas.... while I don't think that would neccessarily work.... I would be pretty receptive to run off votes with the hope that that would give third parties a better chance of gaining representation because people could vote for a third party in the first round of votes.
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Master_SweetPea
Registered:
Nov '02
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Date Posted:
9/28/07 9:22pm
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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How about we actually play by the rules?
It's called the Constitution!
We need to return to the system, we are supposed to have.
The Federal Government was not supposed to be in total control.
We are not one big country, we are a Union of 50 States.
it's are name after all United States....
Our First Government was a Confederacy after all, but they usually just
breeze over that in History classes.
to respond to the ideas posted
If people don't want to vote, they won't
Term limits, sounds good.
Government Education is Good, but we already have that.
You can't keep lobbyist groups out, they are composed of citizens
Campaign reform, not needed in the Internet age
Tax and budget, need reform the most...
There is not way to Crack Down on corruption, anymore so than is already being done
No, NO oh and NO. Keep the House the way it is.
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Lord_Vivec
Registered:
Apr '06
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Date Posted:
9/28/07 10:57pm
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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I'm not liking the idea of forcing people to vote. It takes the democracy out of democracy.
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EUS Vice Chancellor
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Obama/Biden '08
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Ender_Sai
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Feb '01
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Date Posted:
9/28/07 11:35pm
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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That's a fairly stupid notion Vivec; a knee jerk reaction to change.
Democracy is about accountability, which is a two way street.
Moreover, compulsory voting would break the back of minority interest groups - eg Christian Right, Hispanic, Jewish, gun etc - who can disproportionately wield power in elections by mobilising their affiliates.
E_S
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Lord_Vivec
Registered:
Apr '06
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Date Posted:
9/28/07 11:51pm
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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Ender_Sai posted:
That's a fairly stupid notion Vivec; a knee jerk reaction to change.
Democracy is about accountability, which is a two way street.
Moreover, compulsory voting would break the back of minority interest groups - eg Christian Right, Hispanic, Jewish, gun etc - who can disproportionately wield power in elections by mobilising their affiliates.
E_S
By chance, how would you penalize people for not voting?
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HawkNC
Title: FanForce RSA
Oceania
Registered:
Oct '01
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Date Posted:
9/28/07 11:57pm
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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A fine works in most countries. Not voting here gets you a fine somewhere in the vicinity of $50. If you don't like any of the candidates, just do what thousands of people did in our last election and donkey vote (submit an ineligible vote, either by marking too many boxes, writing on it, adding your own candidates to vote for, or otherwise not doing it like the instructions say).
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Lord_Vivec
Registered:
Apr '06
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Date Posted:
9/29/07 12:01am
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
- Date Edited:
9/29/07 12:01am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Lord_Vivec
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HawkNC posted:
A fine works in most countries. Not voting here gets you a fine somewhere in the vicinity of $50. If you don't like any of the candidates, just do what thousands of people did in our last election and donkey vote (submit an ineligible vote, either by marking too many boxes, writing on it, adding your own candidates to vote for, or otherwise not doing it like the instructions say).
doesn't that defeat the purpose of compulsory voting?
EDIT: Unless your goal is just to get them off their asses.
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Jedi_Keiran_Halcyon
Registered:
Dec '00
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Date Posted:
9/29/07 12:04am
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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Master_SweetPea posted:
How about we actually play by the rules?
It's called the Constitution!
We need to return to the system, we are supposed to have.
The Federal Government was not supposed to be in total control.
We are not one big country, we are a Union of 50 States.
it's are name after all United States....
Our First Government was a Confederacy after all, but they usually just
breeze over that in History classes.
Except the founders knew better than to think the system was perfect or wouldn't have to adapt. That's why it's a living document. And there was no way in 1783 that they could have realized how interwoven and connected our states would become. It took Lewis and Clark over a year to get from Saint Louis to the Pacific Coast. I could make the trip in less than 48 hours if I drove nonstop, or less than five by plane.
Compared to the British Isles, the original thirteen colonies already represented a HUGE amount of land to govern. Of course the idea of breaking the country up into smaller sovereign states made sense, AT THAT TIME. But distances that represented a week-long round-trip back then are considered commutes these days, many of them across state lines. Do I even need to get into the differences in communication abilities?
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Lowbacca_1977
Title: Senate Moderator
Registered:
Jun '06
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Date Posted:
9/29/07 12:09am
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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The idea of states rights wasn't logistical because of how long communications would take, but of not having a big power structure to prevent it from gaining too much power.
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Jedi_Keiran_Halcyon
Registered:
Dec '00
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Date Posted:
9/29/07 12:19am
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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But a powerful federal government when half the country is at least a full day's journey away is very different from a powerful government when you can travel from anywhere in the country to the capital in a few hours (other than Hawaii & Alaska, natch).
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Lowbacca_1977
Title: Senate Moderator
Registered:
Jun '06
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Date Posted:
9/29/07 2:25am
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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You're posing it as a lositical issue, which I don't think it is or was.
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Vaderize03
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Oct '99
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Date Posted:
9/29/07 6:12am
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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Voting is a privilege, you shouldn't force it.
Interesting ideas, although I don't like what was written about the House.
How about a law expiring in 50 years that term-limits Supreme Court justices to 10 years, since the court has become an extension of the political process anyway?
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DARTH_CONFEDERATE
Registered:
Mar '03
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Date Posted:
9/29/07 7:23am
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
- Date Edited:
9/29/07 7:26am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
DARTH_CONFEDERATE
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I would give the state governments back the right to choose senators. Instead of pandering to get votes, campaining for a whole year, and thinking about the next election the whole term, they might get more done. They could be held accountable by the states and not the national parties. I would also expand the term of the Representatives to maybe 4 years. Most of these people don't have money and time to be campaigning every 2 years, so again they might get more done. I think also the states should decide the presidency. I'd say equal representation for all, one vote per state. Whoever wins the most state wins. With that, maybe we wouldn't have so many states being ignored because the candidates couldn't win by just getting a few of the most popular like California, Texas and New York, but Arkansas and Wyoming would get an equal chance to decide.
I don't like the idea of forcing people to vote. There are too many people who don't care and know nothing about the candidates or issues. I don't want ignorant peole voting for whover looks better.
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 WooHoo SHEEHAN GOT OUT OF MY STATE! I like Mike Huckabee '08 Great Scott!
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Jedi_Keiran_Halcyon
Registered:
Dec '00
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Date Posted:
9/29/07 7:28am
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
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DARTH_CONFEDERATE posted:
I'd say equal representation for all, one vote per state. Whoever wins the most state wins. With that, maybe we wouldn't have so many states being ignored because the candidates couldn't win by just getting a few of the most popular like California, Texas and New York, but Arkansas and Wyoming would get an equal chance to decide.
That's what the Senate is for. Except every state gets two votes instead of just one.
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Rogue_Follower
Title: Manager: Literature
Registered:
Nov '03
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Date Posted:
9/29/07 7:59am
Subject:
RE: How should the U.S. government be reformed?
- Date Edited:
9/29/07 8:03am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
Rogue_Follower
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I'd say one important reform would be the level of education. No, not education in general, though I think much should be done about that as well... I mean education about the US government.
The people should know how their governmental system works and its history. However, I don't believe this is currently the case---many, many people here in the US have no clue about how our government operates, and a lot of them just plain don't care. Therefore, I would suggest that there be a push to improve the quality of government classes in high schools, so that future voters better understand the system. An well-informed citizen is more likely to vote, and thus the more well-informed voters there are, the better government would be. In theory, at least...
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