The Senate is the absolute worst. A president elected after losing the popular vote + a legislative branch that gives unequal representation = government by a minority.
Wyoming, with a total population of about 580,000 people, gets two Senators. 580,000 people would make the entire state of Wyoming approximately the 15th largest county in the state of California. It would only be the fifth largest city in California, which: lol.
Alaska has about 700,000 people, and also gets two Senators (bridge to nowhere!). North Dakota, same thing. South Dakota, same thing. Same principle is true of Vermont, Rhode Island, and several others.
The problem with this is that residents of states with low populations have a disproportionate say in national legislation. The other problem is that the senators from these states are easier to buy in bulk than senators from states with large populations: your lobbying money goes a lot further when the politician you buy does not have very many constituents. That's why Orrin Hatch lived comfortably in the pocket of pharmaceutical companies for 40(!!) years.
Democracy is messy and imperfect, but it is not difficult. The US government is broken, in large part because senators wield influence that far outstrips the impact of their constituents. The United States Senate is an enemy of democracy, and it should be abolished.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment