A government for the people and by the people

[whaleboat]

If we want a smaller government more representative of how people wish to be governed , it's as simple as returning to the original method of filling offices of the federal government . First repeal the 17th amendment . It's much better to have your state legislatures appoint senators because the state legislators are close to the people . You can talk with your legislator face to face , you're probably not going to get a chance to have a one on one talk with somebody running for the Senate . Second , let your state legislature handle elections for President and Vice-President . If you did a good job electing your state representatives you should be able to rest easy on who they elect to fill executive offices . The Founders intention was obviously to keep government as close to the people as possible by instituting direct elections by the people of members of the U.S. House of Representatives , and having State Legislatures appoint everybody else . The only time this system would run into trouble is if you have more voters thinking "What can I get for myself ?" instead of "What can I do for myself ?"

 

[nodoginnafight]

So your suggestion is that "the people" get a government that represents them more closely, if they are further insulated from the selection process ??????

So I guess if you want better healthcare, you don't go see your doctor in person - you let his nurse convey your symptons for you???????

Nope - not buying it.

I think it's pretty funny to see how those in the minority react to being the minority. "The majority can't be trusted because they didn't vote the way I wanted them to..."

 

[Catbert]

whaleboat, your post brings to mind this quote from 1710 by Alexander Tyler:

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship."

 

[Bill O'Olberman]

If we want a smaller government

I unfortunately have to say that that right there is wrong. People have been demanding increasing resources and services from the government while themselves wanting to pay less in taxes.