Number of Voters Per Representative
(Constituency Size):
(Constituency Size):
- USA --- 426000
- Japan - 147900
- Germany 106951
- Canada - 85017
- France - 83908
- UK---- 73325
- Finland- 21221
The answer to this question has many facets but none are more
compelling than to observe that our nation was conceived in
liberty with the notion that all are created equal and that
the people are to have sufficietnt voice to peacefully control
the excesses of aristocratic power that have historically
prevaded all societies and cultures lacking such restraint.
Left to thier own initiatives, the aristocracy will ever
indulge in the pusuit of power, nation buliding, imperialism,
and the preiminance of thier own caste
The most beneficial characteristic of representative government
is the protection afforded the common people from the encroachment
of aristocratic nationalism, fascism, oligarchy, and plutocracy;
protection from the oppressive force that can otherwise use
government to advantage by sacrificing the well being of the
average citizens. Our huge constituency sizes work to the advantage
of well financed, special interest marketing campaigns. The purpose
of such advertising is to prevent any realistic debate or
challenge to current, entrenched orthodoxy. Unless an opposing
person or viewpoint can secure the huge amounts of funding
necessary to one way media
(television) marketing, actual issues are simply buried under
a blitz of advertising on behalf of the two candidates
offered up by the two major parties. And since these
candidates must both draw their funding from the same pool of
financially well endowed then any real issues that might run
counter to the well bing of the aristocratic minority will remain
buried. So long as
constituency size remains above the threshold at which grass roots
efforts such as campaigning through local gatherings in which
meaningful political debate and dialog can
be employed, then the actual issues will never surface.
In smaller constituencies people of good character and a true
desire to represent their neighbors can actually present themselves
to their neighbors and voice divergent opinions on issues
WITHOUT any payment to the captains of one way mass media.
Campaign funding becomes a
much less important issue than actual communication with ones
constituents. And it is this two way flow of information
(the actual debate of issues) that informs and enlightens the
voters and which allows them to choose representatives that more
fully addresses their own concerns. Representatives that,
while perhaps not creating additional legislation in the
interest of nation building and the enforcement of aristocratic
moral imperatives, will most certainly
defend their constituents against inappropriate legislation that
unduly
compromises their well being.
The existence of speaker and chairpersons and committee members and the
other organizational devices in the the House of Representatives are
essential to the functioning of that body. Without such internal organization
no group of individuals exceeding half a dozen would produce but a continuing
disorder. And the committees and the general structure of the House would not
be altered in any way by Constitutionally Appropriate Representation. Most
if not all of the house members would retain their current stations in the
House and we would see business as usual as regards the day to day mechanics
of legislation. Any who have ever witnessed Cspan will immediately be
impressed by the emptiness of the House chamber, and then perhaps wonder
where all of those votes come from as they are tabulated on the screen. It
seems that electronic voting, currently in place, will allow the larger
membership to vote on legislation just as is currently the case. It takes
no longer to count 5 or 6 thousand electronically registered votes than
it does to count 435.
With the exception of being a convenient gathering point
for various social functions such
as presidential appearances, the House Chamber has
more or less been outdated by secure electronic voting,
video conferencing, and even open television such as
Cspan. With secure connections that are trivial
in light of today's technology there is simply no reason
to herd all of the House members into a room where they
are easier targets for the special interests that inhabit
the lobby. If the intent of the House of Representatives
was the representation of special interests then this might be
appropriate. But the members of the
House are elected to represent us. And there is no
compelling reason for the House membership to even office
themselves inside the Beltway in Washington D.C.
Representatives that do not form the committee structures of the
House would, in all probability, maintain their offices in the districts
they represent. And why not? They can observe the presentations
on the floor of the House Chamber and have instant access to the
full text of any pending legislation. There is no reason why video
conferencing should not be employed to allow them to address the assembly
within the house and all of the members across the nation just
as though they and the members were physically located in the House
Chamber itself. All of these representatives are accountable to their
constituencies and should be accessible to them. Any voter
should be able to peacefully picket the office of his Representative
and politely voice his opinion of existing legislation or pending
legislation being considered by the membership of the House.
The internal organization and structure of the House of Representatives
provides for the ascendancy of individuals who possess a breadth
of experience and perhaps a capacity for deliberation that ordinary
members would normally lack. Efforts on the part of parties and
special interests to place particular advocates into this hierarchy of power
have always operated in the House and will doubtless continue. But
the existence of many additional voting members of a less august and
more common nature will check these cabals and intrigues. With the
power to defeat legislation that is not in the common good
held in the hands of a majority of the members who are more easily
challenged and unseated,
the power inherent
in hierarchical and/or aristocratic designs is controlled so as to
become ineffectual but for furthering the common good. Extended
representation insures that, through their more accessible and
more easily
challenged representatives, the people
will hold a negative on legislation produced by such "committees of
deliberate and enlightened men".