Response to a review
This is the first follow on to The US Problem, the others are coming, in no particular order and links back to The US Problem and links from The US Problem will be added there. This ia all due to my daughter’s review on this article saying that though a fine article, it should delve more into other topics. so to help this problem, as new articles are written, links will go not only back to the original piece, but others that are appropriate.
On Politics
This election year has been as bad, if not worse than previous ones. Congress is in a frozen state, doing nearly anything useful for the last 8–10 years due to the continuing rise in blindly following their party. A practice that must stop or doom itself to alienating the people. The root cause may be the parties themselves. Like most people and corporations, the benefit they are looking for is always near term, rarely the long game.
Some History
The idea of changing our government system is unachievable; it is not simple to pick a new way to operate and so any solution must be within the confines of our system. But let us look at how the system has changed over the years since Independence in 1776 and the subsequent initial outline of our government in the US Constitution, ratified in 1789. We spent thirteen of the first years trying to figure out how to run the country. Since the original bill of rights (the first ten) amendments, there have been an additional 16 over the years. So the system is working but has had and is having some issues. One should also consider voting rights, started with white, land-owning men only and has now broadened to everyone of voting age.
The Two Parties
With the rigid divisions between Democrats and Republicans, it has become much more challenging to get things done. Blind allegiance closes off the possibility of compromise; this goes from the President’s election through the elections of local offices. It also puts a system in place that, with few exceptions, one must choose between Republican or Democrat. I would argue that this is not the best plan. I suspect that most of us are, in fact, Independents. To go down Republican or Democrat is to wrong at least half of the time. The irony is that many issues at hand are in full agreement on both sides, but neither wants to give the other any credit.
A Narrow Focus
Another huge problem is the lack of local and state-level participation by the people of that state. The fact is that the President gets elected by the state electors, which are selected by the parties; therefore, when you cast a vote for a presidential ticket, you are casting a vote for the state electors that support that ticket. Each state gets the number of congressional districts plus two for the senate. Yes, this means that each vote does count, assuming the electors vote the way the voters expect; in the case of a write-in candidate winning enough votes to get an electoral vote, in the states that allow such things, faced with this, and perhaps at the last minute taking anyone eligible to represent them. Although each electoral board is very likely to vote for their parties’ candidate, they ultimately choose. Except for a few states, the party appoints the electoral committee, not elected by the citizens. Although voting for the appointees to the committee as electors may not be feasible for a statewide election, it is very viable and practical to vote for local and state officials to have confidence in choosing electors. Remember, every state has a board of electors per party. The committee with the most popular votes gets to vote on how the state cast all of its votes, except for Maine and Nebraska, that allow each congressional district to cast its own vote, which again is a product of the individual vote for that party or candidate.
Election Budgets
Last, of the significant problems before looking at solutions, election budgets are out of control. Imagine what someone could do to benefit the country, state, or community with the amount of money. Also, if you are going to spend that kind of money, at the very least, give not only your view on the issues but how you plan to handle them. There is no need to spend a dime attacking your opponent when you could win over the hearts and minds of your constituents. I believe this to be especially true of Federal level campaigns. If the winner has the most money, that money came from somewhere, and there are likely favors expected. Favors owed only serve to widen the gap between parties and does little to support going forward, but in most cases, urge the status quo. The party system only helps this cycle as it is a ready lump of cash for the candidate, but with some favors. Case in point, does anybody think the late Senator John McCain would have ever picked Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate? No offense to the Governor, but there were many other better choices. Somebody called in a favor.
Enter the Independents and Education
To the question of parties, I would put forth that they are not needed to run a country. As hinted earlier, most people are independents if you get past the party rhetoric and ask what specific views they hold. Take any party and start listening to what they claim to support, and if you agree, and for a while, you will check off the yes box, but then you’ll see something that seems out of left field and begin to wonder about the sanity of supporting that party. The problem is, this is most likely the case for every party. This is why I champion the Independents; they are much more likely to listen to others and form a definition of the problem and some different paths towards a solution. For example, if a large corporation was looking for a new headquarters, what is best to entice them and serve your public the best. Many locations would focus on tax breaks, some land donation, etc. All very useful to the corporation, not much good for the community. Another area may not offer any tax breaks, but cede some land, or sell at a discount, and point out why their location is better, low crime, better schools, well-educated workforce, and just an overall lovely place to live. These benefits are also good for the corporation, a nice place to set up shop, ready-to-train workers coming out of school, and other long-term pluses. A good sell on that may well beat out the tax implications. Back to the point, if you brought in more independents at local levels, and in turn, they rose to state and federal levels, you start to build a government that is working for the people, not their party. While in-person meetings are best, much can be accomplished by writing blogs, having video releases, and even video conferences across a couple of crucial locations. These can all be executed on a relatively low budget but requires some work on the citizens. We should teach middle and high schoolers how the system works, get information, and give them the leeway to form their own opinions. As they become of voting age, they need to, as do we all, listen to, read about, debate with, etc. those who would like to serve us as elected officials. As I said, a blog, a podcast, YouTube are all relatively inexpensive and a decent forum to express ideas and receive input back. Let us understand the problems and organize a solution, not just complain. As a high school math teacher once said, “Are you a thermometer or a thermostat?” Meaning do you complain about the heat or turn on the AC? (Works for the cold as well, but I am in Dallas for now, so I’ll keep it from this point of view). In the end, education about how the system works and how to vote for the well-being of all and should not come down to a party but ideas.
Conclusion
Only by better educating the public, I suggest that starting in early high school, can informed voting be made possible. That gives the People a choice on what is best for their local communities and filter up the US overall. It has the potential of eliminating gerrymandering and gives real power to our country and those who live there.
