Here’s what happened in America.
In the 1960s the “Women’s Lib” movement started. They got a lot of press coverage because it was a good stroy, but didn’t actually change things a lot.
In 1973 the Oil Embargo hit and suddenly one job wasn’t enough for the family to survive. Lots of wives had to go out and look for work to keep paying the bills.
The Right has been lying that women getting jobs is what destroyed the one income family.
TIL. Thank you.
The idea is briefly mentioned in the book “Double Star” by Robert Heinlein. He doesn’t provide an actual constitution.
Governors and mayors would still run the local area, but the national laws would be passed by a legislature composed of people all elected ‘at large.’
The Congressmember from Texas has no power in his state. He can’t force anyone to do something. They can go to Washington and vote for a law that’s enforced by the police.
Very cool. Thanks, I’d never heard of that book.
Robert Heinlein worked on some real political campaigns back in the day and it shows in his writings.
Another fun political writer is Ross Thomas. He was a WW2 veteran who went from being a Washington reporter to a crime novelist.
“The Fools In Town Are On Our Side” is about a plan to clean up a small Southern city by making it " so corrupt that even the pimps will vote for reform."
“The Porkchoppers” is about a Nixon era Union election. It’s all about the nuts and bolts of running a dirty campaign.
It would be proportional, but instead of your representation being based on your address it’s based on a choice you make.
Think of it this way; you’re a computer programmer who works from home in Hayseed, Iowa. Everyone lese in your town is a farmer or working in farm related business. Your voice will never be heard by the Congressperson.
Under the new system, your address would be irrelevant. You’d be voting for a computer person who knows exactly what you need.
That’s one example. You might want to be part of the ‘teachers’ or ‘gun owners.’
The original idea comes from a novel, “Double Star” by Robert Heinlein. He doesn’t provide an actual constitution, but I do think it’s a nice idea to play around with.
I like the idea that people should be able to choose their representatives based on how they live, rather than where they live.
You sign up as a “gamer,” or a “farmer” or a “soccer mom.” Whatever you decide for that term. Your representative then wheels and deals and votes for laws that help you.
Any group that had 0.5% of the population willing to sign up would get their voice in the Legislature.
I’ll see your le Guin and raise you two more.
Joanna Russ “Picnic On Paradise” and “The Female Man.” Russ is getting a little more appreciation these days.
https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=joanna+russ
Suzy McKee Carnes. imho her Horse clans books are better than “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Some context would be nice.
It’s like doing planks. You swear you’ve been holding it an hour, but it’s really five seconds.
Like I said, try timing it.
I think you’ll see the conversations take less time than you think.
I thought I’d never be glib, but after getting a job where I had to deal with the public all day, I soon realized it was just a muscle like any other. the more you do, the more you can do.
Here’s the secret.
There’s a huge difference between not speaking to people and saying a few words.
If someone says “hello” to you and you ignore them, they think you’re snubbing them. If you just say “hello” back then they are usually satisfied.
Try timing your interactions. You’ll find if you spend even 15 seconds talking to people they’ll end the conversation themselves.
imho people notice the problems; it’s getting the people with power to care enough to do something about the problems.
You might want to look up a movie called "Network.’
It went from cutting edge satire to staid docudrama in real time.
The original laws were written in broadcast days. Even if we had it today, so many people get their news from privately produced videos that there’d always be a huge number of deliberately uninformed people.
Never before, have I been so offended by something I agree with 100%
I write about the Fairness Doctrine all the time.
Someone commented that they thought it was a terrible idea, because a Flat Earther would be given time.
People today are so used to propaganda that they can’t even imagine what a level playing field looks like.
Look at Obama. When he went up against Hilary in 2008 no one thought he had a chance.
The problem Bernie had was that he personally couldn’t do the level of organizing it would have taken. Sadly, none of his people stepped up and took the reins.
I contributed to Bernie three times, and three times I saw it sputter out.
Old bit of political wisdom.
“The Dems fall in love and the GOP falls in line.”
Bill Clinton would have wiped the floor with George Bush Jr. but Al Gore, with the exact same policies as Bill was edged out. [let’s not get into the SCOTUS, Bill would have taken plenty of states W. took]
Hurting New York will only make Trump more popular with his base.