There are 65 comments.

1. Member
   TheRoyalFamily

   @TheRoyalFamily

   

   9:01 AM EDT ⋅ Apr 20, 2015

   I would make every law have a (short) sunset period. Yes, even things like “no murder” and “no stealing.” They could get re-enacted, of course, but then at the end of the period it would have to be voted on again and again, forever. If I could amend that, every law would have to be read out loud before a vote could take place. This would allow bad or unpopular laws to phase out, while keeping Congress busy keeping up the basics.

2. Member
   user_64581

   @

   9:04 AM EDT ⋅ Apr 20, 2015

   Can I make a wish for Canada?  I wish for a Senate that does something for its pay, and (the actual wish from which this would follow naturally) that it would be selected more-or-less exactly as a jury, randomly from the general population omitting the insane, the mentally incompetent (I’d keep that a low bar — after all we don’t want to exclude all Liberals), those who’ve already served, the very young and very old, and criminals who have not (yet) served their time.

   Then I would lobby for a law making it a criminal offence for paid lobbyists to influence members of senate and placing harsh penalties on any attempts at party-lines organization within the Senate.  Enact rules designed to ensure that it is a genuine house of sober second thought untained by influences other than the concerns of the ordinary individual citizens populating it.  4-year terms (the no possibility of a second term in one lifetime admittedly gives Hindus with positive Karma a greater influence over the country in the long run but I’ll live with it), with half selected every 2 years (or 25% every year).

   Come to think of it you guys could use something like this in one of your houses of congress.

   If I had a second wish, I would ask for a law requiring the retirement of laws on the books having equal or greater textual footprint in the official legal documents of the nation, thus capping, in a crude fashion, the red tape that binds and gags our country through ballooning over-regulation.  Sure, at first they’ll retire arcana like laws against chewing gum on Sundays or wearing hats in a bank on a Friday.  But at some point they’ll run out of such amusing dross and have to genuinely re-think some of the horrible morass of regulatory kudzu that makes it such a pain to carry out business, legal activity or any kind of intercourse with government agencies.

3. Inactive
   user_740328

   @SEnkey

   2:59 PM EDT ⋅ Apr 20, 2015

   Jeff S.:My one wish would be to do the same to all the colleges of education in this country: all, both public and private, would be closed and all faculty would be fired. The colleges would be allowed to reopen and faculty rehired only upon adoption of a curriculum that teaches the precepts of a classical liberal education. This definition will do:

   By a Classical Liberal Education we mean a rigorous and extensive knowledge-based education that draws its material and methods from the best and most important work in both the humanities and the sciences. The aim of such an education is not primarily to prepare pupils for a job or career. It is more to transform their minds so that they are able to make reasonable and informed judgments and engage fruitfully in conversation and debate – not just about contemporary issues, but also about the universal questions that have been troubling mankind throughout history. We want children to leave our school with the confidence that comes from possessing a store of essential knowledge and the skills to use it. We believe that independence of mind, not compliance with socio-economic expectations, is the goal of a good education.

   You say you want to ditch base line budgeting? Or repeal the 17th Amendment? Good luck with that when a majority of us can’t name the three branches of government.

   Agreed. I have some very liberal friends with whom I enjoy discussing politics. Although our values differ and lead us to different means and ends, we enjoy debating one another. They also help me to see the best side of the other side. So many of our fellow citizens lack the attention span to explain to them why their underlying assumptions are wrong, with out ever getting to why their assertion is wrong.

   EASY EXAMPLE:

   Low-info voter: We went to war for oil, Bush lied and people died.

   You: There were WMD’s (see NYT no less) and there was a lot of credible evidence to that effect.

   LIV: No, it was about the oil.

   You: How much money do you think we made off of Iraq?

   LIV: Oh, they are banking billions on wall street.

   =Pointless.

   I don’t think everyone should agree with me (what a scary world). But I wish people took the time to learn a little context and think for themselves.

4. Inactive
   user_650824

   @T

   11:45 PM EDT ⋅ Apr 20, 2015

   I’d bring Jesus back.

   I’m not particularly religious but I figure he can’t be any worse than the Wicked Witch or one of the proliferating number of dwarfs.

5. Inactive
   Ricochet

   @TyHobbs

   6:07 AM EDT ⋅ Apr 21, 2015

   Repeal the XVII Amendment.