Our Government should be random....

Like jury duty selection. People should be drafted into government service with the ability to choose not to serve. Would rapidly get rid of the "Old boy Network" and would truly be a government "For the People" "By the People".

Who knows what diamonds in the rough would be turned up in such a situation. This would ruin the ability of Lobbyists to steer Government.... etc etc. To the naysayers who say that people would be idiots and turn Government into some kind of a farce? Have you seen what your average Representative, Senator, etc etc does?

But... half the people in the country have an IQ under 100! I don't think they should be running it....

Because the one's who are are doing a better job? Please. I think that common sense would be more efficient than the current stock of rich morons we have running things. Don't we trust a jury of "peers" to judge us collectively? Why would this be different on a National scale? The cream would rise to the top. I'm completely serious with this post.

[edit on 9-9-2009 by Zenagain]

Originally posted by harpsounds
But... half the people in the country have an IQ under 100! I don't think they should be running it....

Don't you see ...?

They already ARE running it

At least if there were random selection, Israel and the lobbyists would of necessity lose control of the US (as is currently the case)

Better still, government should be drawn from a pool of successful small-business owners and those who'd built up successful businesses from the ground up. At least they live in a real world and are in touch with real people, unlike the goons in government world-wide

That's a bad idea.

We can't play with a roulette wheel on who would get to serve. Many people don't have any knowledge of politics.

That means, they have no knowledge on social policies, or foreign policies, or economic policies.

And as such, would be completely free to "Opt Out" and continue with whatever they were doing with their lives. Do you not think that new Representatives/Senators/ Presidents aren't brought "up to speed" on what's going on in the world? Of course they are! It's not that different unless you somehow consider the average American to be a moron, in which case they will VOTE as a moron on laws and on leaders.

reply to post by Mak Manto


Maybe they can learn it? or maybe, just maybe they can reshape the policy for a much needed overhaul. And to the OP, I think this is a great idea yet there would still be some restrictions and limits that would have to be worked out for obvious reasons. We can't have a white supremacist up there leading out nation.

reply to post by harpsounds


I'd take a guy with below 60 IQ anytime before a guy who sleeps with lobbyist & big business.

"And as such, would be completely free to "Opt Out" and continue with whatever they were doing with their lives."

A problem with that is that a lot of people won't opt out, because politicians get paid way more than average Joe, and lots of perks too.

Who's going to go back to @@insert low pay, low skill job here@@ when they just got told they can earn multiple times more money?

Also, some people chosen will be too stupid to realize they are inappropriate for the job.

I don't think you could do it totally randomly, you've got to have some limits, like at least some kind of aptitude test for the job.


[edit on 9-9-2009 by harpsounds]

reply to post by Zenagain


Morons already hold government positions

They're THERE, making decisions that affect the lives of billions, every hour of every day

People have to get over this cringe they currently have, cringe and awe, of anyone who holds any sort of office

it's peasant-minded, it's the servility of ignorant serfs

Morons ARE running the US and governments world wide

Sooner people strip the automatic reverence from their attitudes and take an honest look at the scum at the top, the better

reply to post by born2BWild


Perhaps, but if we elect someone that way, by random choice, and they have no knowledge, it doesn't take a few days to get them caught up on the issues.

It takes a long time!

Like jury duty selection. People should be drafted into government service with the ability to choose not to serve.

That's an idea once put forth by the late great Isaac Asimov.

It a hard idea to dismiss, because frankly, how could it possibly be any worse? So what if they have no idea how politics or government works? Great! They won't know how to bilk the system either. Couple this idea with a bounty on any and all lobbyists and we'd be all set.

I changed my mind, actually I think you should go ahead and bring this system in. It will achieve my wish of seeing the USA collapse into a heap of it's own dung way faster than any other method.

reply to post by St Vaast



Which is exactly my point?

Of course there would have to be checks and balances. Anyone trying to push an agenda that was unwelcome with the majority would of course be removed and replaced. You could also level the playing field so that the minimum salary wouldn't be anything to sneeze at, but also wouldn't be a huge draw to people who "won the lottery" and got elected by a random barrel roll. Our Government/way of living is LONG past due for a change. Would you prefer it be bloodless or to be some kind of Second Civil War?

Let's say you get picked up by the Police for a murder, don't you trust your fellow citizens to set you free if you didn't do it? How often do you see people all up in arms about jury selection? You don't. Is your life worth more than other citizens? If you trust these fellow citizens with your life, why not your Government? Could they do any worse? I supported and voted for Obama but now realize that the American people didn't vote him in, the Cult of Personality did.

Do you really want Government provided by Mtv? Myspace? Facebook? God no.


[edit on 9-9-2009 by Zenagain]

It is the one feature of Athenian Democracy I agree with, up to a point!

I think it would apply good towards certain political offices, mainly the representative positions.

The Athenian system also only allowed 1 term.

Source

I don't know if random selection would help all that much because anyone, regardless of how they are put into a governmental position, can be bought. I hate to say it, but far too many people have a price. And that, in my opinion, is the real problem. If the majority of people weren't so bent on accumulating wealth and power, then perhaps the vicious cycle we see in our government could be broken.

Another issue that sickens me is the complete lack of accountability not just within the government, but within society as a whole. I have to admit that I can only speak for what I observe here in the United States, but I imagine that it isn't isolated to this country. Far too many politicians get away with what amounts to false advertising during their campaigns to get into office, and then once they are elected they do things that I bet the majority of their constituents would never agree with. For all of the bologna that George W. Bush did, has he been held accountable in any way? The same could be said for Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Bush Sr., Pelosi, and so on. The list is massive. These people cram shady legislation through for approval in ways that the full text cannot be read, and the implications cannot be completely considered. It's as if they have no foresight whatsoever. Meanwhile it's the rest of us, the voters and citizens, who wind up suffering as a result of their arrogance.

What we need are politicians who are real leaders. People who have the balls to tell the lobbies and the men/women behind the curtains to "F^#! off". People who don't look at a map and see demographics and potential votes, but rather human beings for whom they are trying to be an honest, reliable, accurate representative. People who can do the right thing. People who won't be caught up in corruption. People who can stand in front of the nation and tell the truth. I bet there isn't a single such person in the national government right now who does all of those things.

While we're at it, let's get rid of political parties. If some person wants to run for office, they can state their stance on important issues without being tossed into some stereotyped category. Left, right, who cares? Right now we're stuck with two parties that pretty much hold a monopoly (is duopoly a more suitable word?) over the federal government. The stranglehold that they have in place is such a negative influence that it makes me angry.

Ah, hell, forget it. There's too much wrong with the way things are right now. Maybe we just need to CTRL-ALT-DEL the government and start from scratch. It would be much less complicated that way.

Good times!

Has it never occurred to any of you that "Lawyer" is one of the most hated professions and yet most of our Presidents have been lawyers?

Am I the only one that this bothers?

I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK! I want my country to be a shining beacon to the rest of the world as what is RIGHT!

I know that a lot of you have never known anything better, that maybe you think that America has "always" born the stains upon us that we currently have, but you are WRONG.

I want to wake up in the morning realizing that this is the greatest Nation on Earth and dammit, it just hasn't rung true for a quite a while now. It's far past time to step things up before we go quietly into the annals of history. Save our damned country please!

Have any of you know someone in your lives who could eclipse John Kennedy in governing?

Without a doubt you do.

Roosevelt? Washington? etc etc? I'd like to think you have. The sad fact is that breeding, money, and what School someone went to are more important to the "status quo" than who someone really is.

We "must" break out of this situation because we have been lucky so far... but luck only goes so far. We are coming to a turning point in this Nation and it isn't looking pretty.

It looks like soon we will again be up in arms against each other and I don't want that. I don't think anyone logical does. We must surely hang together, otherwise we will all hang separately.

American's need to take America back. Peacefully.

Gandhi did it, why can't we?

TAKE YOUR COUNTRY BACK BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!

reply to post by harpsounds


IQ means NOTHING.
Just another device of divide and conquer.
I ten times trust a low IQ factory worker (just a cliche, these are pretty smart guys), than some condenscending academic who thinks his farts dont stink, and has no connection to reality, whatsoever and only knows his charts and figures

Edit for typos

[edit on 10-9-2009 by Dynamitrios]