No, I'm not talking abut opposition to the government owning the means of production, or even fighting against Scandinavian-style "social safety nets" supported by higher taxes.
Nope, I'm thinking about proposing a form of government in which direct interpersonal contact is kept the the bare minimum. Automate the DMV! No more press conferences: Top government officials will receive a printed list of questions to answer weekly, by letter or e-mail. Congressthings will be required to remain seated, eyes front, when the House or Senate is in session -- wireless microphones will let them address their fellows. And, of course, lobbyists will be required to use the mail.
Let us have a government of laws, not of men. And let the men (and women, and you over there with your very own pronoun) we do have to have keep to themselves. There's no need to get chummy; just do your job and clock out at the end of the day. No autographs, no press-the-flesh meetings, none of that. Baby-kissing will be prohibited by law.
Next step: all election campaigns to be conducted via plain-text direct mailings, and all mailings to be fact-checked by a bipartisan committee and a broad variety of news organizations, with their checks clearly attributed.
Dull? Darned right it would be dull. There's no reason politics should be a three-ring circus.
BUILDING A 1:1 BALUN
4 years ago
5 comments:
Got my main-in vote.
(In fact, all voting in WA is by mail-in ballot, and I think marking a paper ballot in a central location will result in far more secure and honest elections.)
(Not that a certain party's operatives won't still be finding boxes full of misplaced ballots shortly before the deadline of a close one...)
Kind of ties in with my approach to political speeches. Never watch them live or on video. If something significant was supposedly said, I read the transcript.
Takes less of my time (I read faster than almost anyone can talk, and I don't have to wait through choreographed applause sessions).
It also helps cut out the emotional loading of tone and appearance. Cases in point:
People who watched the Kennedy/Nixon debates gave it to Kennedy. People who listened on radio gave it to Nixon.
In the 30's, a certain upcoming politician had "a mesmerizing personality" and the increasingly larger attendance at his presentations quickly led to more "determined" followers. People that heard him on radio or read the speechs afterwards didn't get why he was so popular.
I second Ms. X's motion!
"...no reason politics should be a three-ring circus."
But what are we going to do with all these monkeys?
Congress meets via the Web, not in DC
Before voting on a bill, a Congressperson must pass a quiz demonstrating they have actually read, and know, what's in it.
But please...I get too much junk mail already.
@Jeffrey: And to pass, the bill must get a majority of the entire house, not just of the Congressmen voting on it.
And every law must be renewed every 20 years, by reading and passing a new bill.
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