Government 'By the People' or 'Buy the Politician'?
My first published novel was a humorous political potboiler called "...by the people..." It was published in 2004, but I actually started writing it, I'm not sure if it was 1996 or 1998. I think I have officially sold nearly a dozen copies. But it contains an idea that I think bears being talked about from time to time.
Let's think about the way we elect our representatives on the federal level. The founders had a great idea. But like most ideas conceived of that long ago, perhaps it could stand a bit of updating.
What if we changed the way we select congressmen and senators?
I realize this would require an amendment to the Constitution, but consider it for a moment.
What if we changed the way we select our representatives that would take money — and therefore, corruption and corrupt political parties and politicians — out of the picture?
Think about a pure political process that takes corporations out of the picture. Think about a process that would eliminate the need for candidates to raise millions upon millions of dollars every two years for a job that only pays $174,000 a year.
Did the founders conceive of the idea of career politicians when they set up the House of Representatives and Senate? Or did they see it as a temporary service to the country — after which one would return to private life?
I'm not talking about term limits, although that would be a grand start.
I'm talking about jury duty.
When you register to vote, you are automatically registered into your county's list of prospective jurors.
What if, instead of electing congressmen and senators, we SELECTED them?
What if each congressional district had a list of eligible, registered voters from which they could randomly select a name — do a background check on the individual to ensure you're not getting a crook or an idiot — and appointed that person to serve a six-year term in a unicameral representative body that would be charged with crafting legislation for consideration by the Executive Branch?
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