by Chuck Avey

The founders did a brilliant job of designing a government for their new federal system. Its powers were carefully defined. The member states were expected to fill their official slots in the federal power structure. The state governments directly controlled the U. S. Senate. State governments could have held on to more control over the House of Representatives and the Office of President. Why they did not do it is anybody's guess.

My guess is that state officials were happy to turn federal elections over to the people and get away from the political heat. The fact that states thereby surrendered critical powers to the federal government was realized too late. This lack of vision allowed an out-of-control federal government expansion.

The founders trusted neither autocrats nor the easily swayed masses. They set us on a center-channel course between tyranny and popular democracy. Two hundred years later, we have become victims of a system of popular tyranny. We grumble while being pushed around by the popular tyranny. Federal officials are preoccupied with money raising and campaigning. Local voters are cynical and bored and apathetic. The news media enriches itself in the political frenzy. Term limits is considered. National PACs and labor unions spend billions punishing those who dare to run for office. Most honest and intelligent people refuse even to consider running for public office. All this because states overlooked the foundation stone for the pyramid.

Suppose, for example:

1. that the states in 1789 had reorganized their legislative districts in harmony with their congressional districts; then
2. they sub-divided these congressional districts into odd numbers of legislative districts containing 30,000 to 60,000 population each (by today's numbers); then
3. that those 60,000 people choose ONE representative to sit in the state legislature; then
4. that ONE representative joins with the others in their Congressional District to choose their representative to U.S. Congress; then
5. they choose two electors to sit in the Electoral College and choose the next President and Vice President; and finally
6. they sit as a state legislature to choose two U. S. Senators.

Results:

1. One unified pyramid of state/federal power; based upon one well-known representative voice per voting district
2. No campaigning for national office
3. No vote splitting
4. No voter apathy
5. One spirited local election every two years
6. All our political marbles will be lined up for direct responsibility from bottom to top
7. Unemployed national media
8. Congress and President go back to governing

This page was last updated 07/02/00 01:51 PM