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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThis shows the problem with the Senate
Found on AllHatNoCattle:
Democratic Senators represent far more human beings than republicons do. Republicons are manipulative and scheming, that's why they took control of the media. It's the reason they blanket small rural states with Hate Radio. 2 Senators from states with >1m population have the same say as states with 30+ million .
The "big state/small state" thing might have been a valid concern to the 13 original states, but it is completely absurd today. Needs to be changed.
Elessar Zappa
(14,077 posts)We gotta work with what we got.
MarcA
(2,195 posts)and the Filibuster, where the will of the majority of citizens, the President,
the House and even on occasion the Senate (VP) are denied, we
may very well see the end of the US as we know it in our lifetimes.
Can the US survive until 2050?
Layzeebeaver
(1,644 posts)The idea of an upper and lower house may be a good idea, but it needs to flex with the growth of the nation.
a kennedy
(29,712 posts)CurtEastPoint
(18,664 posts)calimary
(81,514 posts)How bout THAT for the tiny blue dot thing?
DC STATEHOOD!!! NOW!!!!
And itd certainly fix the we all have to genuflect to King Joe Manchin thing, too.
PJMcK
(22,052 posts)Throw in Puerto Rico and any other American territories that want statehood. They'll all send Democratic Senators to D.C.
Problem solved and as an added bonus, it will neuter Manchin.
magicarpet
(14,176 posts)NullTuples
(6,017 posts)roamer65
(36,747 posts)tclambert
(11,087 posts)There is no reason for a North and a South Dakota. The Dakota Territory once contained both states and parts of other states. Let's have peace between the Dakotas and bring them back together.
While we're at it, Puerto Rico deserves to become a state. We've let them languish in territorial limbo for far too long. Puerto Rico has a higher population than Hawaii or Alaska. Hell, it has a higher population than both Dakotas put together.
mezame
(295 posts)tclambert
(11,087 posts)Within a few thousand of Alaska.
31 American cities have a higher population than the state of Wyoming.
Fla Dem
(23,766 posts)Blue_playwright
(1,568 posts)SunnyATT
(56 posts)James48
(4,441 posts)Thats really part of what is needed. No place with more then a 10 to one ratio over the smallest states.
California, 4 or 5 states.
Texas, 3 or 4 states. Florida- at least two different Floridas exist.
Where else needs to be broken into smaller parts?
NullTuples
(6,017 posts)Our state is a like a Mandelbrot of the country as a whole. The coastal area around LA and the SF Bay Area (+ the coast up to Eureka) are where nearly all of our people are as well as nearly all of our Democratic voters.
qazplm135
(7,447 posts)it just had a smaller difference but there were still pretty big differences between the states back then in population and land mass.
To change it, would need to change the Constitution, and that's got about as much chance of happening as me winning the lottery.
BarbD
(1,193 posts)to eliminate the Electoral College. Everyone kept arguing that it was too hard.
So, now here we are 20 years later. The Electoral College is outdated. Congress is not representative of our population. The time to change is now. The Constitution has been amended 27 times. It can be done.
mwooldri
(10,303 posts)Bills have to be introduced in the House, cannot be introduced in the Senate. Senate can only work on legislation passed on in the House. House has some powers to veto the Senate and send bills to the President to sign into law without Senate approval. Judicial and executive appointments are approved by a House committee and not the Senate.
Looks like to me the US legislative branch is becoming more like a UK parliamentary system. So copy it. In theory none of the US Senators have to be elected, just chosen by the states. UK House of Lords - no-one is elected there by universal suffrage.
Won't ever happen, would require substantial constitutional reform and that's more likely to pass than me winning the Powerball lottery twice.
Crunchy Frog
(26,647 posts)Roc2020
(1,616 posts)eppur_se_muova
(36,299 posts)with every other county in CA. So maybe 1/29th of a Senator for that blue dot, vs 14 red Senators -- a factor of ~400.
(Actually, that should be calculated based on population, not number of counties. But point made.)
dugog55
(296 posts)in the '80s under Reagan. He invited the NRA and the Christian Right into their fold and it has been a steady downward spiral. The Christian Conservatives will not stop until we have a Theological based Fascist Government. Period. Other than money, nothing is more important to them than having complete control of the American people. Pompeo was a true believer in End Times. Is that someone you want in a position of power? And almost every Republican politician has to drag religion into every thing they are talking about or working on.
And yes, if you have read any of my previous posts, you will know that I am beating a dead horse with Reagan, but dammit, he is the grandfather of everything wrong in this country, and it makes me sick whenever a Dem mentions him in a favorable light. He set in motion the destruction of the middle class and the creation of our current plutocracy.
FoxNewsSucks
(10,435 posts)The methods and "machinery" were put in place and assembled, Raygun just hit the start button.
wryter2000
(46,082 posts)The garbage may have existed before him, but he made it all mainstream.
Grins
(7,234 posts)"The Senate worked as it should for almost two centuries, until the GOP lost its mind."
No it didn't.
It went south (literally) in the early 19th century that led to more slavery, a civil war, and all the hell that has come since. If you haven't read it, get the book, "Master of the Senate" by Robert Caro (it's terrific!) The first 100+ plus pages Caro sets the stage with the history of the Senate. I think I made it halfway when I thought for the first time - "The Senate needs to be abolished."
FakeNoose
(32,777 posts)That tiny blue dot has even less representation in the Senate, because the 2 California Senators are representing the entire state.
California has almost 40 million people. Los Angeles County alone has almost 4 million people - 10% of the state. So the residents of Los Angeles County are getting representation of 10% of 2 California senators.
The 7 states shown on this map each get 2 Senators.
lame54
(35,326 posts)BobTheSubgenius
(11,571 posts)And it does.
aggiesal
(8,929 posts)If you add up all the votes received by 50 (R) Senators, they would receive 63,745,827
If you add up all the votes received by 48 (D) Senators, they would receive 83,224,682
If you add up all the votes received by 2 (I) Senators, the would receive 528,224
50 Republicans receive 43.32% of the total vote received
48 Democrats receive 56.64% of the total vote received
2 Independents received 0.35% of the total vote received
If you include Independents with Democrats because that's how they vote, then
50 Republicans receive 43.32% of the total vote received
48 Democrats receive 56.78% of the total vote received
Democrats have a 19,478,855 vote lead on the Republicans with a 13.32% advantage
Including the Independent Senators, the Democrats have a 20,0007,079 vote lead and a 13.46% advantage
Yet Democrats had 2 less Senators than Republicans
**************************************************
To be honest, the founding fathers set the system up this way.
The House was setup to give the power to the big states, while the Senate
was setup to give the power to the little states.
Unfortunately, the "little" states abused the gerrymandering at both the national, state and local level
so that they can have perpetual power. So now the smaller states are gaining control of the house as well.
Look at Pennsylvania for example. If you add up the votes received by (D) .vs. (R), the (D)'s received more
votes, yet (R) have more representatives.
FoxNewsSucks
(10,435 posts)the House isn't much better. Democrats get far more total votes than republicon scum, yet often don't control the House and when they do, the margin isn't even close to reflecting the actual vote count.
aggiesal
(8,929 posts)I added exactly that to my post before I saw your response.
CaptainTruth
(6,602 posts)There's no one from my state in Congress who represents me.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)The legacy of slavery is long and painful. The Senate is purely intended to protect rural racists. We need to find a way to fix it or make it go away.
Griefbird
(96 posts)Two senators represent the whole state, so LA County doesn't have the influence over California's senators that the red states have over their 14 senators, seems to me.
elleng
(131,159 posts)trof
(54,256 posts)It just ain't right.
azureblue
(2,152 posts)Why do you think the US has a house of representatives and a senate? Duh? Jeez - I learned that in the 7th grade.
OldBaldy1701E
(5,162 posts)All of this talk about restructuring our government is funny given how much screaming I read on here when the rethugs were discussing an attempt to do basically the same thing.
BSdetect
(8,999 posts)How about 2 senators per 10 million of population?