Wally wrote:
I would like to see the gov't go towards a jury duty like system. You get a notice in the mail that you are stuck with 2 years in the house or worse six in the senate. From them a president is chosen by picking a lucky seat in the chamber. No campaigning, no lifertime jobs there, just go in do the best you can and go home hopefully without sinking the ship.
I was just having a conversation with a friend and we came to a similar conclusion. Also, elected officials should not be eligible for vacation or fundraising trips. They should get the federally recognized national holidays (same as the post office) and nothing else.
Not to mention all things that apply to the general population, must apply to them, such as Obamacare
.
By basing a school's funding on how well they perform on standardized tests, OF COURSE they're gonna teach to the tests. Which is BOOOOOORRRRING. "No child left behind" craps all over the smart, motivated kids, who are kept back because of the slow kids... and then dosed with ADD/ADHD drugs when they get all twitchy from not having anything to keep their mind busy.
So, we have an entire generation who's smarter half is trained all through elementary and high school that applying yourself is a bad thing, questioning only gets you in trouble, and there's nothing you can do about it.
gamby wrote:
This country has created a generation of kids who are unable to ride in a car for 2 blocks without watching a DVD
Huh? I'm sorry, I got distracted by a squirrel outside. But don't worry, I don't have AD... OO LOOK THE SQUIRREL IS BACK!!!
Hess' Law: No politician can accept a single cent from anyone that can not directly vote for them. Running for Senate in Ohio? No money from New York. Can a corporation vote? No. No money. The penalty is death. Penalty for voter fraud: 10 year manditory prison sentence.
Dr. Hess wrote:
Hess' Law: No politician can accept a single cent from anyone that can not directly vote for them. Running for Senate in Ohio? No money from New York. Can a corporation vote? No. No money. The penalty is death. Penalty for voter fraud: 10 year manditory prison sentence.
But that is all simple and clear cut. There are no loopholes. How are Senators to become wealthy doing the bidding of those who have an agenda to fulfill?
So... To pass laws circumventing the will of the public we'd have to handsomely pay individual persons in a district to make donations. Awkward but, OK, that works!
racerfink wrote:
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy."
Alexis de Tocqueville
Yup. As long as people vote for one tax break after another with no regard for paying the debt, we're in trouble.
Hal
Dork
9/14/10 11:19 a.m.
ReverendDexter wrote:
By basing a school's funding on how well they perform on standardized tests, OF COURSE they're gonna teach to the tests. Which is BOOOOOORRRRING. "No child left behind" craps all over the smart, motivated kids, who are kept back because of the slow kids... and then dosed with ADD/ADHD drugs when they get all twitchy from not having anything to keep their mind busy.
So, we have an entire generation who's smarter half is trained all through elementary and high school that applying yourself is a bad thing, questioning only gets you in trouble, and there's nothing you can do about it.
Quoted FTW!!!
Fortunately I taught a subject that didn't have any standardized tests but I saw many of my colleagues caught in that trap.
Unfortunately the one factor that has the greatest influence on how well a teacher can teach and how well the students learn never seems to get mentioned in all the hype about education.
Ask any teacher who has 5 or more years experience how class size affects their teaching and students learning.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:
But that is all simple and clear cut. There are no loopholes. How are Senators to become wealthy doing the bidding of those who have an agenda to fulfill?
!
Government representation is supposed to be "service" in our political system.
The fact that the already rich and powerful often end up in seats of political power as well is an unavoidable part of most any society.
But we should ask ourselves how our representatives get so rich while in a job that pays so little? That's the unavoidable part of a too-powerful government...
I generally favor sunshine as the primary cure for currying political favor, but I like the sentiment of the "Hess law". :-)
Bill
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:
Dr. Hess wrote:
Hess' Law: No politician can accept a single cent from anyone that can not directly vote for them. Running for Senate in Ohio? No money from New York. Can a corporation vote? No. No money. The penalty is death. Penalty for voter fraud: 10 year manditory prison sentence.
But that is all simple and clear cut. There are no loopholes. How are Senators to become wealthy doing the bidding of those who have an agenda to fulfill?
No loopholes? I see a big one - get your opponent convicted of voter fraud. Create a company in district Y. Create a subsidy of said company in disputed district Z. Subsidy donates money to candidate in district Z, and after money is accepted, reveal money actually comes from Company out of district Y.
Can a subsidiary vote? No? Death.
The 10 years for voter fraud is for the individuals committing it. You know, the dead people voting. There's districts on the east coast with voters who are now 120+ years old, still on the books. Someone showed up at the poll. They get 10 years.
Dr. Hess wrote:
Hess' Law: No politician can accept a single cent from anyone that can not directly vote for them. Running for Senate in Ohio? No money from New York. Can a corporation vote? No. No money. The penalty is death. Penalty for voter fraud: 10 year manditory prison sentence.
Interesting. So, say I work for the Redemplican in party in Montana and I want Mr Asstastic to win in Ohio:
I find another (probably rich) Redemplican in Ohio (Mr Bumpumper), give him 16 quadgillion dollar for consulting on how to service the urinal in the Redemplican HQ. He then gives that to Mr. Asstastic (minus the income taxes of course).
Conforms with Hess's law, yes. You say that money did not come from the Mr. Bumpumper, yes it did. If not, then most cannot donate since most of there money comes from the company they work for.
There's details to work out. Perhaps a maximum donation of 2K/person, like we have today. And no, the money comes from the individual. We could extend the logic otherwise to say all money comes from the privately owned Federal Reserve system otherwise. And should an ambiguity arise, we should always err on the side of executing the politician, just to be safe.
Dr. Hess wrote:
There's details to work out.
I think it probably violates the 1st Amendment.
What part, fast_eddie_72? The part about butt berkeleying your buddy? Or the part about nun p0rn and crucifixes in urine? Otherwise, say whatever you want but no money if you can't DIRECTLY vote for that person. However, we now know that the First Ammendment had nothing to do about protecting political speech anyway, only about protecting gay p0rn and lewd rap music lyrics.
Dr. Hess wrote:
...And should an ambiguity arise, we should always err on the side of executing the politician, just to be safe.
Agreed, in some sort of "sporting" manner if possible. You know, running start etc.
Don't hit the hair! It's bullet proof!!
I still like random selection of political representatives (with some conditions to qualify, maybe 10 year voting history etc.). Make it a duty, kind of like jury duty, except you pay them much better (maybe based on what they made working...). Do it Athenian style!!
Irony. I only see one visualization of "urine" on this page...
Wally wrote:
I would like to see the gov't go towards a jury duty like system. You get a notice in the mail that you are stuck with 2 years in the house or worse six in the senate. From them a president is chosen by picking a lucky seat in the chamber. No campaigning, no lifertime jobs there, just go in do the best you can and go home hopefully without sinking the ship.
I agree. I don't trust ANYONE who wants to be the president of our country.
