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american midterm elections

Started by billy rubin, November 05, 2022, 01:24:44 AM

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Ecurb Noselrub

Quote from: Tom62 on November 08, 2022, 04:33:33 PM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on November 08, 2022, 03:44:15 PMThe US system is broken, with the Electoral College and gerrymandering getting in the way of actual democracy. We are still dealing with "states' rights" after all these years.

Maybe because it is called the United States of America?

The first word is "united". The "states rights" folks have been wanting to disunite it since the Civil War. The Constitution does not allow for "unlimited" federal power. The federal government is one of limited powers. But it makes it clear that the Constitution and federal laws/treaties are the supreme law of the land.

Asmodean

Hmm... The United Nations has "united" in its name, and yet those nations are largely free to do their thing.

I don't think union is necessarily the key word here - federation probably is.
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on July 25, 2013, 08:18:52 PM
In Asmo's grey lump,
wrath and dark clouds gather force.
Luxembourg trembles.

Recusant

The states tried a federation--that was the form of government created in the first constitution. It did not work. Fuckwits with a desire to have more power to oppress in their particular fiefdoms have been displeased ever since the US Constitution was ratified. They may eventually succeed in getting the Christofascist paradise they long for though.
"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration — courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and above all, love of the truth."
— H. L. Mencken


Tom62

I just think that the USA is far too big to be governed centrally. Here in Germany we also have a federal state system and loads of disagreements between the states and with the federal government.
The universe never did make sense; I suspect it was built on government contract.
Robert A. Heinlein

billy rubin

a big problem in th eunited states is that there are severe population disparities that are ignored by our system.

we have two states-- wyoming and vermont-- with fewer people than the city of washington dc.

yet the states have representation in the government, and washington does not.

this is a relic of the formation of the country, when previously independent small colonies were loathe to give up their autonomy in a union.  those days are way past, but the system that gave small colonies a greater voice in government still helps them now that they are states, and helps newer states with small populations.

the result is that our represntation is partially based on land, and not on people.


set the function, not the mechanism.