Search found 221 matches

by JEQuidam
Wed May 18, 2011 5:15 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: The Repeal Amendment
Replies: 3
Views: 8128

Re: The Repeal Amendment

We don't need new laws so much as we need getting rid of the bad ones. Which is precisely what the "Repeal Amendment" is intended to do! There are no perfect solutions, there are only better solutions. Representational enlargement, repealing the 17th, the "Repeal Amendment" are ...
by JEQuidam
Tue May 17, 2011 12:38 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: The Repeal Amendment
Replies: 3
Views: 8128

The Repeal Amendment

Proposed amendment: "Any provision of law or regulation of the United States may be repealed by the several states, and such repeal shall be effective when the legislatures of two-thirds of the several states approve resolutions for this purpose that particularly describe the same provision or...
by JEQuidam
Sat May 14, 2011 6:21 pm
Forum: Public Opinion and Polls
Topic: Only 23% believe fed government has consent of the governed
Replies: 6
Views: 16132

Re: Only 23% believe fed government has consent of the gover

Have you tried reaching out to historians to see if such a letter exists? I've spent many hours in the Library of Congress, other libraries, and examining other sources. I've tracked down every footnote I can. I've made numerous phone calls. Unfortunately, I never found anything that blatant. An ap...
by JEQuidam
Sat May 14, 2011 11:23 am
Forum: Public Opinion and Polls
Topic: Only 23% believe fed government has consent of the governed
Replies: 6
Views: 16132

Re: Only 23% believe fed government has consent of the gover

Do we have any idea why, after the discovery of the error and subsequent failure of the first amendment, the Framers didn't correct the amendment's wording and resubmit it for a new vote? My theory: once it was realized, it would have been embarrassing that the very first amendment inscribed in the...
by JEQuidam
Fri May 13, 2011 11:40 pm
Forum: Public Opinion and Polls
Topic: Only 23% believe fed government has consent of the governed
Replies: 6
Views: 16132

Re: Only 23% believe fed government has consent of the gover

When I first stumbled on your site, I laughed aloud because I thought the idea sounded so ludicrous. As I kept reading, I realized--although it sounds crazy at first--it's actually a brilliant solution. Now, I'm one of your staunchest supporters. Thank you for those words of encouragement! It is a ...
by JEQuidam
Fri May 13, 2011 6:49 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Alternative Structures
Replies: 17
Views: 39385

Re: Alternative Structures

Stephen, for the record, TTO would never expand its mission to include the concept of disqualifying citizens from voting. However, I have no objection to the concept being debated in this forum. Since you asked about it, I’ll add my 2¢. We already disqualify citizens to some extent in that felons ar...
by JEQuidam
Fri May 13, 2011 6:35 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Alternative Structures
Replies: 17
Views: 39385

Re: Alternative Structures

I moved this discussion to the "Whatever..." category (because it had nothing to do with "One Person, One Vote").
by JEQuidam
Fri May 13, 2011 5:37 pm
Forum: Repealing the 17th Amendment: Pros and Cons
Topic: Was the 17th Amendment properly ratified?
Replies: 28
Views: 28976

Re: Was the 17th Amendment properly ratified?

Pseudolus wrote: Gridlock happened regularly. In some states more than others.
Fine, if the state legislature cannot reach agreement within some specified timeframe (e.g., 30 days), then the Governor should be allowed to designate the Senator(s). Problem solved.
by JEQuidam
Fri May 13, 2011 5:33 pm
Forum: Public Opinion and Polls
Topic: Only 23% believe fed government has consent of the governed
Replies: 6
Views: 16132

Only 23% believe fed government has consent of the governed

Rasmussen poll: “Only 23% believe the federal government today has the consent of the governed. Sixty percent (60%) do not think this is the case, while another 17% are undecided.” Also: “Just 17% believe most congressmen get reelected because of the good job they do representing their constituents....
by JEQuidam
Thu Apr 28, 2011 3:53 pm
Forum: Public Opinion and Polls
Topic: Rasmussen and Fox are right wing crank cases
Replies: 1
Views: 13087

Re: Rasmussen and Fox are right wing crank cases

Trucker, I can always count on you to make things partisan.
by JEQuidam
Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:09 pm
Forum: Section 10: Achieving the revolutionary vision
Topic: Clemons v. Department of Commerce dismissed by Supreme Court
Replies: 1
Views: 8024

Clemons v. Department of Commerce dismissed by Supreme Court

The Supreme Court reviewed Clemons v. Department of Commerce and announced (on December 13, 2010) that “The judgment of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi is vacated, and the case is remanded with instructions to dismiss the complaint for lack of jurisdiction.”...
by JEQuidam
Fri Dec 10, 2010 5:03 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: The US Census and the Amazing Apportionment Machine (video)
Replies: 0
Views: 7868

The US Census and the Amazing Apportionment Machine (video)

This video, produced by the U.S. Census Bureau , does a nice job of using graphics to illustrate the apportionment process in a simple way (without losing their audience over the underlying mathematics). Relative to representational enlargement , the most interesting part of the video is this assert...
by JEQuidam
Sat Nov 27, 2010 6:32 pm
Forum: Repealing the 17th Amendment: Pros and Cons
Topic: Was the 17th Amendment properly ratified?
Replies: 28
Views: 28976

Re: Was the 17th Amendment properly ratified?

HouseSizeWonk wrote:The "Devvy" piece suffers from the disadvantage of not making any sense...
Thanks for the analysis. I didn't know what to make of that column. I appreciate your critical examination. Of course, it's wishful thinking that there is a easy way to overturn the 17th Amendment.
by JEQuidam
Sat Nov 27, 2010 6:22 pm
Forum: Section 10: Achieving the revolutionary vision
Topic: Start a Facebook Group
Replies: 2
Views: 8138

Re: Start a Facebook Group

And now with an even shorter URL!

http://www.facebook.com/ThirtyThousand.org

Please ask others to "like" TTO at the link above.
by JEQuidam
Sat Nov 27, 2010 6:11 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: The myth: Voters hate Congress but love their Congressman
Replies: 0
Views: 10446

The myth: Voters hate Congress but love their Congressman

Scott Rasmussen, a highly respected pollster with an excellent track record, wrote a little book last year titled “In Search of Self-Governance” in which he made a number of insightful observations. The one I want to call to everyone's attention is his commentary about “the tired cliché that ‘voters...
by JEQuidam
Sat Oct 16, 2010 4:58 pm
Forum: Public Opinion and Polls
Topic: Gallup: Americans Trust Own Judgment More Than Politicians'
Replies: 0
Views: 14044

Gallup: Americans Trust Own Judgment More Than Politicians'

This poll underscores one of the reasons for replacing the professional political class with true citizen representatives. Americans continue to have more trust in themselves to make judgments than they do in the men and women who are in political life, with 69% of Americans expressing "a great...
by JEQuidam
Sun Oct 03, 2010 12:02 pm
Forum: Repealing the 17th Amendment: Pros and Cons
Topic: Was the 17th Amendment properly ratified?
Replies: 28
Views: 28976

Was the 17th Amendment properly ratified?

This author offers a very interesting supposition about the 17th Amendment: She asserts that it may have not been properly ratified! If that is so, then the states could declare it null and void.

Read what Devvy Kidd wrote in Why Seventeenth Amendment Can't Be Repealed. ( October 1, 2010)
by JEQuidam
Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:26 pm
Forum: Section 10: Achieving the revolutionary vision
Topic: Apportionment.us: three judge panel to be convened!
Replies: 21
Views: 19826

Re: Apportionment.us: three judge panel to be convened!

Adam, I'll reply to some of your last post when time permits. In general, I'm not sure where you are coming from. A few of your arguments strike me as so specious that I don't know if you're opposing representational enlargement , or if you're simply playing devil's advocate. (Forgive me if you alre...
by JEQuidam
Mon Aug 16, 2010 6:05 am
Forum: Section 10: Achieving the revolutionary vision
Topic: Apportionment.us: three judge panel to be convened!
Replies: 21
Views: 19826

Re: Apportionment.us: three judge panel to be convened!

A constitutional amendment or a recognition that the Reynolds line of cases was wrongly-decided, which is what I am arguing for. It is not unheard of for the Supreme Court to overrule itself. Reynolds and its ilk were wrongly-decided. Yet another example of Chief Justice Warren deciding that it was...
by JEQuidam
Sun Aug 15, 2010 4:46 pm
Forum: Section 10: Achieving the revolutionary vision
Topic: Apportionment.us: three judge panel to be convened!
Replies: 21
Views: 19826

Re: Apportionment.us: three judge panel to be convened!

Who is to say which system is more "democratic"? Who is to say which set of compromises strikes the appropriate balance? Certainly not the Supreme Court of the United States, IMO. Contrary to your opinion, though, the Supreme Court does indeed have the "say" on this and, barring...
by JEQuidam
Sun Aug 08, 2010 11:32 am
Forum: Section 10: Achieving the revolutionary vision
Topic: Transitioning to a larger House
Replies: 18
Views: 19874

Re: Transitioning to a larger House

Yes, but why 60,000 and why 50,000? And why a minimum district size of 30,000? A specific number had to be established, and the wise men then assembled agreed upon one. Could it have been 29,999 or 31,500? Of course. I believe that the essential thing is the order of magnitude appropriate to ensure...
by JEQuidam
Sat Aug 07, 2010 10:06 am
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Follow the money
Replies: 2
Views: 4952

Re: Follow the money

Politicians are heavily pressured to "follow the money" and tend to serve whoever provides it. Yes, that's why we're making money mostly irrelevant via small districts. It's also why many of us separately support a repeal of the 17th Amendment. That pretty much sums up my view as well. Th...
by JEQuidam
Sun Aug 01, 2010 10:54 am
Forum: Section 10: Achieving the revolutionary vision
Topic: Transitioning to a larger House
Replies: 18
Views: 19874

Re: Transitioning to a larger House

Though, I still do question why the number 50,000 was chosen versus 40,000 or 60,000 or any other random number. What is the significance of 50,000? Actually, the language of the Senate's version was a little simpler and they proposed a district size of exactly 60,000 (once the total population rea...
by JEQuidam
Sun Jul 25, 2010 3:53 pm
Forum: Section 10: Achieving the revolutionary vision
Topic: Transitioning to a larger House
Replies: 18
Views: 19874

Re: Transitioning to a larger House

It would be far more beneficial to demonstrate that these problems [of enlargement implementation and operation] are solvable (as multiple solutions are available) rather than attempting to architect a detailed solution. Therefore, the more solutions that are proposed for consideration, the better....
by JEQuidam
Sun Jul 25, 2010 11:36 am
Forum: Section 10: Achieving the revolutionary vision
Topic: Transitioning to a larger House
Replies: 18
Views: 19874

Re: Transitioning to a larger House

I, for one, find a 6000-seat chamber unwise, and I think arguing for it hurts everybody who believes House expansion is necessary... Adam, there are several different points I want to make in reply. First, anyone who supports increasing the number of Representatives - whether to 436, 568, 5,680 or ...