Posted by
Wil on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 4:38:48 PM
"The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand" Article 1 section 2, the US Constitution.
The House of Representatives was meant to be the voice of the common man, the representatives of the average joe. But today, our 435 house members are just junior senators. Most of them have been in Washington for many years, they have little contact with their constituents, and they are more loyal to party and interest groups than to the voters who elected them. What if we went back to the words of the Constitution, to a document that states that one congressman represents 30,000 voters? If about 40% of our population is eligible to vote, this would be about 4,000 representatives. Sound crazy? Perhaps. But if a congressional district consists of Berkeley, you would have a Green party or someone like them represented in Government. If a Congressional district consists of Hayden Lake Idaho, you might have once had a member of the Aryan Nation. A congressional district found entirely on a Reservation will have a Native American representative. The diversity of voices, and the chances of actually breaking the two party system, would be greatly enhanced. If a rep sat in his DC office hanging out with PACs and special interests, a rival on the ground back home could easily without much financial means defeat such a candidate. And since all legislation must make it through both the house and senate, it would be much harder to ram through things unpopular at home. This is what the house is supposed to be and what would provide experience to third party challengers to senate seats, and even the presidency. So what do you think?