WHAT IS 30,000:1?
We want two simple rules:
- The ratio of citizens to representatives in the House will be set at 30,000 to One (30,000:1).
- These districts will be based on a neutral geographic assessment every census – think zip codes.
Imagine if you could just walk over to your representative’s house or office and chat with him or her. Imagine if you could run for congress simply by walking around your neighborhood. This is how it used to be. Most of the issues in our country right now are not a problem with the size of our government, or bad regulation, or bad government workers, they are a problem of representation — that we are not represented in our own government. We believe that the problems are structural. So until we remedy the bottleneck of democracy in our Congress the average person will just be less and less represented in our legislation.
When our democracy was founded, the ratio of citizens to representatives in the House of Representatives was 30,000:1, Today it is 717,000:1! We want to return to the original ratio. Is there any way one person can really represent hundreds of thousands of people? We think the obvious answer is NO.
WHY?
Our system of the bicameral legislature is designed to let the population have its voice (the House) and the more entrenched, powerful minorities have theirs (the Senate.) It was not designed to have a straight majority rule, but a more tempered form of representation. We think that was a smart idea — mob rule can be pretty frightening if you are not part of the mob! The House was supposed to be the place where the people could exercise their power, and that has been taken from us by the arbitrary limiting of the size of the House of Representatives to 435 members. Why? Control — it is easier to bribe and control 435 people than 10,000 people. Our House of Representative should have 10,394 seats! I mean if we can build a state-of-the-art sports stadium, surely we can build a modern House of Representatives.
The House now has the ratio that the Senate use to have. That is why your representatives don’t work for you — they work for the people with money and access. That is why the average person is so frustrated. We have lost our voice!
Let’s take it back. Please pass this message on and help us get this done.
2 thoughts on “A Simple Idea”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Somehow I can’t see 10,394 Representatives in a stadium trying to convey 30,000 ideas from my zip code. Then coming to some sort of an agreement and deciding which laws to pass to create jobs, heal the sick, educate the young, feed the poor, heal the bay, save the mountain, protect our communities, AND at the same time represent another sector of ideas and values from other zip codes with citizens who want to keep the jobs they have tearing down the mountain for minerals, protect their children from liberal minded teachers, make and market their own moonshine, grow and market their own herb, own rapid fire machine guns, discriminate or have the freedom to choose who they hire, rent to, and sell to.
My point is, we already have a conflict of interest and a big communication problem. I don’t see how having more voices in Washington representing us is the solution.
When I think about it, we already are represented in our zip codes. We have city counsels, chambers of commerce, unions, community action groups, clubs, foundations, and churches. These places usually have a leader who speaks to County Supervisors, Mayors, and State Assembly men and Governors, who speak to U.S Representatives, and Senators who then represent us in Washington D.C.
I’m glad to see though, that people are beginning to want to participate more, get involved, find solutions, and take action.
Great idea, keep em coming!
I understand your worry but the federal government has already preempted local control of communities so having a say at the federal level is just a start. Almost all of the issues you brought up should be dealt with locally and I think perhaps you underestimate your fellow Americans. Democracy will always be a struggle. But it is hard to have a representative democracy without actually being represented. Also, the senate was never intended to represent the majority it was designed so states have an equal say.