78. Can We Make The Government A Little Less Stupid?

Our government system has corroded over the 240 years since our founding, but I think there’s a chance for us to revive it a little bit. I do not trust that any reforms to her government that would really right the ship would ever happen, but I have a few ideas that could help.

“The deterioration of a government begins almost always by the decay of its principles.”

-Montesquieu

Judiciary: The judiciary has become way too powerful as the arbiter of the constitution. They were never meant to be the last say on whether or not something is constitutional. They were meant to be a co-equal branch of government keeping the other two in check. I think a law could be passed to limit the scope and purview of judicial review.

Congress: I think there are two very simple fixes here. The Senate should be appointed by the states again and we should abolish the constitutional amendment that allowed them to be elected democratically. For the house, I think limiting the number of terms they are allowed to serve to four terms would also go along way. Then, if we could find a way to make it illegal for former Congress people to become lobbyists and ensure that the pay they get while in Congress is near poverty level, there would be little to no incentive other than goodwill to serve.

President: If we could pass a law overturning the Chevron rule, bills to limit the scope of the president’s power, and stop military actions outside of declared war, I think that would really limit the focus on the president. Then, by empowering states and getting people in Congress who are truly passionate about the way the country is governed instead of helping themselves, we can make most of the federal actions fairly obsolete.

States rights: Once the federal government is very limited by these actions, we can focus on strengthening communities, towns, and individuals through proper channels that are local and specific to the needs of the people there.