afb@pucc-i (Michael Lewis) (03/03/86)
I think that one problem that is present in American Government today
is an *oversensitivity* to public opinion, particularly in the House. The
problem is that Congressmen are just about always up for reelection. Two
years isn't a long enough term. The American Public is very fickle, and you'd
better go along with it if you're a Congressman and you want to stay one.
I realize that one of the functions of the House is to remain "in touch"
with the people...but that can be over emphasized (too much of a good thing...)
I think that the following changes should be made:
1. House terms moved to 4 years.
2. Senate terms moved to 8 years.
3. Presidential terms moved to 6 years.
I think that the volatility of American Public opinion has made it very
difficult to operate in anything approaching the "long term". Long term,
consistent, bipartisan programs are essential in such pursuits as military
planning, arms control, environmental planning, etc.
I've been reading all kinds of things about how hard it is to get anything
unpopular or controversial passed through Congress during an election year...
but that's every other year! No wonder Congress takes so damn long to decide
anything...
I'm sure this will spark some lively debate...don't disappoint me. I'll
just sit back and watch the sparks fly...
Michael Lewis @ Purdue Universityslk@mit-vax.UUCP (Ling Ku) (03/05/86)
In article <1335@pucc-i> afb@pucc-i (Michael Lewis) writes: >I think that the following changes should be made: > > 1. House terms moved to 4 years. < agree totally > 2. Senate terms moved to 8 years. > 3. Presidential terms moved to 6 years. ^^^^^^^^^^^ two terms in office means 12 years, that's a bit too long for me. How about president term remain 4 years and conducted between house election. Sanate election could synchronize with either. Siu-Ling Ku {decvax, harvard}!mitvax!slk slk%vax@mit-mc.ARPA -- Siu-Ling Ku {decvax, harvard}!mitvax!slk slk%vax@mit-mc.ARPA
franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams) (03/07/86)
In article <1335@pucc-i> afb@pucc-i (Michael Lewis) writes: >I think that the following changes should be made: > > 1. House terms moved to 4 years. > 2. Senate terms moved to 8 years. > 3. Presidential terms moved to 6 years. I wonder. The current situation in presidential politics is that the race for the next election starts as soon as the last one is over. It seems to me that stretching the term out to 6 years will just make the race last 6 years instead of 4. Also, 6 years is rather a long time to be committed to an administration. Extending house terms to 4 years might be desirable. If you don't change the presidential term, you then have a choice of 1. Electing representatives with the president 2. Electing representatives in non-presidential election years 3. Electing some reps with the president and some not None of these is particularly satisfactory. 1 is probably the best option. 3, besides arbitrarily making some areas different from others, has problems when you reapportion. (The same problems occur if you do change the presidential term.) To take a simple case, suppose you have a state with two representatives, one elected in 1988, and the other in 1990. In the 1990 census, the population of the state has decreased to the point where it now has only one representative. When is the next election held, and who represents what in the mean time? Frank Adams ihnp4!philabs!pwa-b!mmintl!franka Multimate International 52 Oakland Ave North E. Hartford, CT 06108
mc68020@gilbbs.UUCP (Tom Keller) (03/07/86)
In article <1335@pucc-i>, afb@pucc-i (Michael Lewis) writes: > > I think that one problem that is present in American Government today > is an *oversensitivity* to public opinion, particularly in the House. The > problem is that Congressmen are just about always up for reelection. Two > years isn't a long enough term. The American Public is very fickle, and you'd > better go along with it if you're a Congressman and you want to stay one. > > I realize that one of the functions of the House is to remain "in touch" > with the people...but that can be over emphasized (too much of a good thing...) > I think that the following changes should be made: > > 1. House terms moved to 4 years. > 2. Senate terms moved to 8 years. > 3. Presidential terms moved to 6 years. > > I think that the volatility of American Public opinion has made it very > difficult to operate in anything approaching the "long term". Long term, > consistent, bipartisan programs are essential in such pursuits as military > planning, arms control, environmental planning, etc. > > I've been reading all kinds of things about how hard it is to get anything > unpopular or controversial passed through Congress during an election year... > but that's every other year! No wonder Congress takes so damn long to decide > anything... > > I'm sure this will spark some lively debate...don't disappoint me. I'll > just sit back and watch the sparks fly... I agree in essence with the items enumerated as 1,2, & 3 above. I would add, however, that to avoid the undue consideration of re-election from hindering the processes of democracy, that the preseident should notbe allowed to run for re-election. One six year term, and out. I believe that this will go a *LONG* way toward improving the effiency and effectiveness of our elected president. -- ==================================== Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim any and all responsibility for disclaimers. tom keller {ihnp4, dual}!ptsfa!gilbbs!mc68020 (* we may not be big, but we're small! *)