Search found 221 matches

by JEQuidam
Thu Jun 23, 2011 7:02 am
Forum: Public Opinion and Polls
Topic: Gallup: Congress Ranks Last in Confidence in Institutions
Replies: 1
Views: 14050

Re: Gallup: Congress Ranks Last in Confidence in Institution

Gallup: Americans Most Confident in Military, Least in Congress (June 23, 2011) “Congress ranks last among these institutions, behind big business and health maintenance organizations.” That’s no surprise given that the “People's House” fails to represent the people . It’s a safe bet that the Specia...
by JEQuidam
Sun Jun 19, 2011 7:28 am
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Death of the Duopoly (WSJ editorial)
Replies: 0
Views: 7587

Death of the Duopoly (WSJ editorial)

Death of the Duopoly By Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch Wall Street Journal, June 18, 2011 EXCERPT... Nothing in American life today seems as archaic, ubiquitous and immovable as the Republican and Democratic parties. The two 19th-century political groupings divide up the spoils of a combined $6.4 tr...
by JEQuidam
Thu Jun 16, 2011 8:42 am
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: What is the best size for a district?
Replies: 8
Views: 12953

Re: What is the best size for a district?

...lower level governments should have even smaller districts. When the Founders proposed congressional district sizes of 30,000, such districts were considered huge (as explained here ). The Founders persuaded the citizenry that congressional districts of such immense size were adequate because th...
by JEQuidam
Wed Jun 15, 2011 8:43 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Uncle Jay explains congressional recess
Replies: 0
Views: 7257

Uncle Jay explains congressional recess

A friend sent me this...

Uncle Jay Explains the News: Congressional Recess (July 2, 2007)

I assume he is exaggerating, but I don’t know by how much.
by JEQuidam
Sat Jun 04, 2011 8:18 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: What is the best size for a district?
Replies: 8
Views: 12953

Re: What is the best size for a district?

What is the best size for a district? With respect to the federal government, I'm convinced that the Founders arrived at the best answer to this question (as they did with everything else in the Constitution and Bill of Rights). The solution they settled upon was proposed by the House of Representa...
by JEQuidam
Tue May 31, 2011 1:37 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Duverger's Principle (a.k.a. "Duverger's Law")
Replies: 22
Views: 26549

Re: Duverger's Principle

Pseudolus, you're way too contentious for me. We've pretty much beat this subject to death. I understand your view, and you understand mine. Good luck with whatever it is you are working on.
by JEQuidam
Tue May 31, 2011 9:14 am
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Elite rule: Insider trading on Capitol Hill?
Replies: 0
Views: 7261

Elite rule: Insider trading on Capitol Hill?

Or are members of Congress much better at picking stocks than the average investor?

Read Insider trading on Capitol Hill?
by JEQuidam
Tue May 31, 2011 7:17 am
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Duverger's Principle (a.k.a. "Duverger's Law")
Replies: 22
Views: 26549

Re: Duverger's Principle

I'M NOT SUGGESTING, NOR NEVER SUGGESTED A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT! I NEVER SAID YOU SUGGESTED AN AMENDMENT [/all caps]. I was just commenting that: I'm generally not interested in discussing solutions that would require an amendment, such as multiple runoffs, term limits etc. Example: There are th...
by JEQuidam
Mon May 30, 2011 7:36 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Duverger's Principle (a.k.a. "Duverger's Law")
Replies: 22
Views: 26549

Re: Duverger's Principle

I think our oversized districts certainly have contributed to our overpowering two party system but it's not the cause. Therefore, I don't think having smaller districts would break the system either, but would weaken each party's influence because the personal connection between representative and...
by JEQuidam
Mon May 30, 2011 6:13 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Duverger's Principle (a.k.a. "Duverger's Law")
Replies: 22
Views: 26549

Re: Duverger's Principle

...I'm still unclear why you think it would take a constitutional amendment to change local voting methods. I only meant that an amendment is required for any changes to the voting method relative to federal elections , not local elections. The alternative methods referenced in your initial post, o...
by JEQuidam
Sat May 28, 2011 8:21 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Duverger's Principle (a.k.a. "Duverger's Law")
Replies: 22
Views: 26549

Re: Duverger's Principle

Ballot access is merely a red-herring in disproving Duverger. I did not assert that New Hampshire's anti-minority party laws "disproves" Duverger's theory! Instead, I was pointing out that NH's barrier to new political parties reasonably explains why there are only Democrats and Republica...
by JEQuidam
Sat May 28, 2011 1:42 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Duverger's Principle (a.k.a. "Duverger's Law")
Replies: 22
Views: 26549

Re: Duverger's Principle

... and have as many runoffs as it takes. Various runoff solutions, and the method mentioned by Pseudolus, may be worth exploring in a country stuck on mega-districts. However, I have no interest in discussing work-around solutions that do not eliminate the fundamental problem of oversized district...
by JEQuidam
Sat May 28, 2011 12:21 am
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Duverger's Principle (a.k.a. "Duverger's Law")
Replies: 22
Views: 26549

Re: Duverger's Principle

This question was raised above: Why would New Hampshire, with its small electoral districts, have only Republicans and Democrats in its legislature? You would think that with 400 representatives in their lower house, a state like NH would manage to have at least one or two independents, Greens, libe...
by JEQuidam
Fri May 27, 2011 4:19 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Duverger's Principle (a.k.a. "Duverger's Law")
Replies: 22
Views: 26549

Re: Duverger's Principle

Even in reviewing your research, the two-party phenomenon clearly existed at the start of our nation. Please download that image and zoom in. Note that all the "N/A" (in white) was no affiliation . That's not two party, it's zero party! Mostly independents! Also, as you'll zoom in you'll ...
by JEQuidam
Fri May 27, 2011 4:04 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Alternative Structures
Replies: 17
Views: 39369

Re: Alternative Structures

Pseudolus, that's interesting. If it is acceptable for the President to electronically sign legislation into law on foreign soil, then the people will certainly not object to their Representative voting on legislation in their home district. Personally, I would not care if my Representative voted on...
by JEQuidam
Fri May 27, 2011 9:34 am
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Duverger's Principle (a.k.a. "Duverger's Law")
Replies: 22
Views: 26549

Duverger's Principle

Pseudolus, there may not be enough data available to establish a firm proof for your views or mine. We have dueling suppositions. We have both raised several questions worthy of academic scrutiny. Indeed the regional menus may change (though this is highly doubtful considering NH's General Court has...
by JEQuidam
Fri May 27, 2011 8:30 am
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Alternative Structures
Replies: 17
Views: 39369

Re: Alternative Structures

I am wary of leaning too hard on technology... The Luddites have already lost this battle ;) Our representation is currently dependent upon technology, starting with the all the technology required to transport them from their home districts to Congress every week. Then there is the voting technolo...
by JEQuidam
Fri May 27, 2011 7:57 am
Forum: Section 10: Achieving the revolutionary vision
Topic: Senate too!
Replies: 7
Views: 10126

Re: Senate too!

The spreadsheet only contains the ratio as it relates to the States; Census 2010, # State House Reps, # State Senate Reps and the ratio of sovereign individual per voting district. I have a huge number of spreadsheets, many of them multi-gigabyte, but almost all focus on the federal analysis. They ...
by JEQuidam
Thu May 26, 2011 8:42 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Duverger's Principle (a.k.a. "Duverger's Law")
Replies: 22
Views: 26549

Re: The Duverger Dilemma

For example, if we're all at dinner together and can only voice one opinion for one dish meant to be served family style among us, Duverger's Law holds true. If I truly want to order (a) osso bucco, but believe osso bucco has a snowball's chance in hades of winning the vote over something as mainst...
by JEQuidam
Thu May 26, 2011 11:28 am
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Duverger's Principle (a.k.a. "Duverger's Law")
Replies: 22
Views: 26549

Duverger's Principle (a.k.a. "Duverger's Law")

Pseudolus has raised the thought-provoking subject of “Duverger's law”. Though this is often called a “law”, it is actually a theory. For an explanation, read this Wiki article . According to that article: “A two-party system often develops from the single-member district plurality voting system (SM...
by JEQuidam
Wed May 25, 2011 4:36 pm
Forum: Take it outside!
Topic: Alternative Structures
Replies: 17
Views: 39369

Re: Alternative Structures

But since it is virtually impossible to create equal-sized districts... Paul, as it turns out, if we increase the number of congressional districts so that there is one for every 50,000 people, the difference in size between the smallest one and the largest ones becomes almost insignificant! I know...
by JEQuidam
Wed May 25, 2011 4:21 pm
Forum: Repealing the 17th Amendment: Pros and Cons
Topic: Was the 17th Amendment properly ratified?
Replies: 28
Views: 28968

Re: Was the 17th Amendment properly ratified?

If the 17th were repealed, and there were a dramatic shift in the composition of a state legislature between the six year election, there is nothing to prevent said state from recalling an unpopular Senator. The purpose of the six-year term is to make the Senators less subject to the vagaries of po...
by JEQuidam
Wed May 25, 2011 4:12 pm
Forum: Section 10: Achieving the revolutionary vision
Topic: Senate too!
Replies: 7
Views: 10126

Re: Senate too!

I think the founders had it right too, however the drastic loss of present-day electoral college influence for the small states is certainly a roadblock we'll have to hurdle somehow if we're going to increase representation in the House. That's a good point. You are referring to the two extra Elect...
by JEQuidam
Tue May 24, 2011 2:16 am
Forum: Section 10: Achieving the revolutionary vision
Topic: A book. We need a book.
Replies: 17
Views: 40749

Re: A book. We need a book.

Stephen, I appreciate your initiative. Sometimes "those who can't" simply don't have the time. At least, that is the main problem in my case. To be fair, Paul was offering a constructive suggestion (rather than a complaint). If I did have the time, the higher priority would be to revamp th...