Time to Expand the House?

[candycorn]

Each representative speaks for 760,000 people. This number is clearly too large for effective representation.

It’s Time to Expand the House of Representatives - Harvard Political Review

An increase in the number of U.S. representatives would remedy a century-old policy misstep and help the House better serve its purpose of serving the needs and interests of American citizens.

theharvardpoliticalreview.com

Most would be gerrymandered, of course. But there will be more purple districts if we increase the number. The larger issue is, of course, how to expand it and to what number. I don’t know the former. The latter...we need to essentially double the size of the house. Espansion should take place in three stages over 16 years. This would eleviate any shocks to the system to where there are too many of any one party elected at once. Whats more is that this can (and likely will) create seats for third parties since it will tkae fewer voters to win a seat in Congress.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Long past time. Should have happened years ago. We have only the illusion of representation. There was a proposal about 20 years ago to set the number of districts at a number so that no district would be larger than the smallest, which I think was Wyoming at the time.

 

[braalian]

400+ house members is already pretty unwidely

 

[pknopp]

No.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

400+ house members is already pretty unwidely

Wrong word there braal!

 

[braalian]

Wrong word there braal!

I had to google it. I've always read it as "unwidely" my whole life.... minor dyslexia or something I guess

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

I had to google it. I've always read it as "unwidely" my whole life.... minor dyslexia or something I guess

That's like me with the word "voila"! Never knew the correct way to pronounce that until after I had a Master's degree. I heard it spoke thousands of times but never made the connection.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

400+ house members is already pretty unwidely

New Hampshire is one of the smallest states and has 400 members in its State House.

 

[candycorn]

400+ house members is already pretty unwidely

Well by that metric 300M citizens is pretty unwieldly. There is nothing we can do about the size of the nation. If we’re going to have a republic where your representative TRULY represents your district...there is no choice except to expand the body.

 

[braalian]

Well by that metric 300M citizens is pretty unwieldly. There is nothing we can do about the size of the nation. If we’re going to have a republic where your representative TRULY represents your district...there is no choice except to expand the body.

How many citizens per congressman do you feel would be appropriate?

 

[candycorn]

New Hampshire is one of the smallest states and has 400 members in its State House.

Also allegedly one of the most miserly when it comes to public expenditures.

Just as a sidebar; as I have said numerous times here on the board, I’m a national park buff. Not just parks; I visit seashores, battlefields, memorials, wildlife reserves, forests, lakes and streams, etc... One of which was Vicksburg in Mississippi. All states that have soldiers there donated statues to commemerate their state’s sons sacrifice. So as you drive around the grounds, you see: The ornate Illinois memorial with the names of all soldiers on a wall of honor inside..

The impressive Pennsylvania Memorial:

Even Kensucky got into the act:

Here is New Hampshire’s.

From NPS: It was erected in November 1904 at a cost of $5,000 by the State of New Hampshire. There was no formal dedication and the memorial was accepted by the Federal government on April 20, 1906.

When you visit, the NHM is sort of sitting on the road side; no path to where it rests. Almost as if they pushed it out of the back of a Dodge Durango.

 

[candycorn]

How many citizens per congressman do you feel would be appropriate?

Good question. I would put it between 200-300 K citizens myself; approximately 1/2 the size of the least populous state. Just to have a thumbnail metric.

 

[braalian]

Also allegedly one of the most miserly when it comes to public expenditures.

Just as a sidebar; as I have said numerous times here on the board, I’m a national park buff. Not just parks; I visit seashores, battlefields, memorials, wildlife reserves, forests, lakes and streams, etc... One of which was Vicksburg in Mississippi. All states that have soldiers there donated statues to commemerate their state’s sons sacrifice. So as you drive around the grounds, you see: The ornate Illinois memorial with the names of all soldiers on a wall of honor inside..
View attachment 1240947
The impressive Pennsylvania Memorial:
View attachment 1240949
Even Kensucky got into the act:
View attachment 1240950

Here is New Hampshire’s.
View attachment 1240954
From NPS: It was erected in November 1904 at a cost of $5,000 by the State of New Hampshire. There was no formal dedication and the memorial was accepted by the Federal government on April 20, 1906.

When you visit, the NHM is sort of sitting on the road side; no path to where it rests. Almost as if they pushed it out of the back of a Dodge Durango.

probably not much money left in state coffers for monuments after paying the salaries of 400 state representatives....

 

[braalian]

New Hampshire is one of the smallest states and has 400 members in its State House.

that just strikes me as rather absurd

 

[candycorn]

probably not much money left in state coffers for monuments after paying the salaries of 400 state representatives....

Well, I doubt they had that many in 1906 when it was dropped off.

 

[braalian]

That's like me with the word "voila"! Never knew the correct way to pronounce that until after I had a Master's degree. I heard it spoke thousands of times but never made the connection.

So how did you pronounce it in your head when you read it?

I took French from a young age, so I knew that one.

French has a ridiculous amount of silent letters, but once you learn the rules you can pronounce any word in French. None of the archaic spellings like in English. (cough, through, plough, etc)

 

[candycorn]

that just strikes me as rather absurd

It sounds pretty smart to me; theorhetically. Can you imagine how responsive they can be when you represent 3,500 people (the size of a suburban high school) instead of 800,000? I’m sure they have their bugaboos. I remember one time having to drive down to the office of our representative we had in Texas because nobody in the office would return a phone call.

 

[braalian]

It sounds pretty smart to me; theorhetically. Can you imagine how responsive they can be when you represent 3,500 people (the size of a suburban high school) instead of 800,000? I’m sure they have their bugaboos. I remember one time having to drive down to the office of our representative we had in Texas because nobody in the office would return a phone call.

Yes, but is it feasible?

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

So how did you pronounce it in your head when you read it?

I thought "voila" - just like it is spelled!

I took French from a young age, so I knew that one.

French has a ridiculous amount of silent letters, but once you learn the rules you can pronounce any word in French. None of the archaic spellings like in English. (cough, through, plough, etc)

I have no problems with most languages as I took Latin in high school. But that one word threw me for a loop! I was very popular overseas because I could read a menu in multiple languages.

 

[Dorian Mode]

The premise is all wrong. The existing politicians in the house DO NOT represent their local constituents, they represent the Big Money donors and lobbyists that fund them, and they represent the Party they belong to. Ditto for the senators. If We The People want better representation we have to do it at the local level where our voices can actually be heard. This means transferring as much power as possible away from the federal government and giving it back to the states. If the states can't give the people the representation they deserve then you transfer as much power as possible down to the county level. And if the country can't get it done you transfer it down even further.