I really enjoyed making that list last week. Like Hammurabi, chiseling edicts on the stone plinths. So much so that I’ve racked my brain trying to think of other institutions I could improve with a few slashing pen strokes, just to feel that rush of sweet logical power and authority. This week I’ll improve the US constitution. A lot of people in America really venerate the constitution - too much, in my opinion. To the point that they don’t really understand what has actually made America a great place to live for some people, and what hasn’t made America a great place to live for some other people, and why.
To begin with, many Americans might not know that lots of other countries have constitutions, and a lot of those constitutions grant all the freedoms Americans enjoy, and more. And those constitutions didn’t explicitly provide for human slavery like US constitution originally did. If you believe that God inspired the “Founding Fathers” during their creation of the US constitution, you believe that God was okay with slavery. Hopefully you don’t, and therefore do not believe the constitution is scripture, and see that there are lots of countries with constitutions with varying degrees of actual democracy, especially concerning freedom of speech, ie the freedom to criticize the government and criticize any and all the government officials you want, which seems around the world to make all the difference, ie whatever their constitution, if the people can criticize the government all they want without fear of arrest, then it’s a democracy. So you agree with me that it’s okay to change the constitution with amendments, which we already do. We just need to do it a little more. I have prepared a list. But before we get to that list, we need to go through another list, a list of key concepts for American democracy:
- People have been told that their vote counts, and it does, but their vote counts more in the small-scale local elections that they pay no attention to. Their vote counts more mathematically because there are less people voting; so in a community of 1000 people each individual vote counts for one part in a thousand, and in a city of millions each vote counts for one part in a million, and in a country of 100s of millions each vote counts for one in a 100 million. But individual votes in local elections also count for more because they are more informed, because they can actually see the buildings and roads and schools impacted by their vote, because they can attend meetings and see and talk to the officials they have elected.
- Money determines the national, general elections more than the local elections. Mostly in the primaries. After the choices have been whittled down to 1 candidate per party, people generally vote along very broad ideological lines. Money still influences those elections amongst the undecided voters. In the national elections, people can’t go drive to see all the buildings and schools and refugees and foreign affairs and armies and who knows what. They can’t go to a town hall and meet the candidates face to face. Television and internet provides the images and news stories about the schools and foreign affairs and refugees. But mostly the candidates and their families.
- Most people don’t really know what they’re voting about or for. They don’t even know if they’re voting in their own basic self interest. Especially, and I said it before, in national elections. Even if they know how to google “foreign affairs”. Education directly impacts democratic institutions. If someone votes on an issue they do not understand, they are voting how they have been told to vote.
So now that we’ve made our initial list of key concepts, we can move on to amending the US Constitution with some amendments.
Amendment 28:
Let’s deal with the Presidency.
First, no more electoral college, obviously. The nation will elect the President by popular vote.
We will also elect the Secretary of State, the secretary of defense, the attorney general, and the secretary of the interior. The secretary of the interior will become Vice President. That’s right, the person elected to be the direct successor to the president will have a real job. The senate can choose their own guy to bang the gavel and whatever.
So each presidential ticket will consist of five candidates, not one and a half. I know, a lot of cultists and fascists and closet monarchists will complain, but we will start to look and think like people in a real democracy for a change
Amendment 29:
The Senate? Are we living in Ancient Rome? No more 6 year terms. We’ll give them 4 years, and the house must approve Supreme Court nominees and cabinet appointments as well. Honestly, why do we have a Senate? Don’t we elect the house?
Amendment 30:
Everyone in every state votes on all members of the congressional delegation. No more gerrymandered districts.
Amendment 31:
Okay, here’s the big one. Remember our discussion about how your vote counts more in local elections? We destroyed the electoral college in Amendment 28, now we’re bringing it back with teeth, in a completely new form. That’s right, the new electoral college, no longer a pawn of state legislatures, directly elected by the people. Each elector is chosen by vote of 5,000 of their neighbors, people who know them, with access to talk to them in public meetings every week. You would know your Elector well enough to wave hello, and you could meet with them every week, and you would vote on them every two years.
What would this new electoral college do? They would vote in the national elections, and they would vote on constitutional amendments.
I know, I know. I said no electoral college before, and we can definitely hold off on this amendment. You want a say in the national elections. But let me point out that my Electoral college would be elected by you, and you would get direct face time with them. Think about that. You would talk to the people who vote on your President and cabinet members and you would expect them to do their job to stay informed and push for issues important to you, and you wouldn’t be watching everything on the news with that sinking, helpless feeling. You will be empowered and participating in the democracy. You’re welcome
