"Good Ideas For The Body Politic": Randomly Chosen Political Representatives

"I Propose Creation Of A Shadow Congress Whose Members Are Chosen At Random"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2018/09/i-propose-creation-of-shadow-congress.html

Dear Maria and Danny,

Ideas are a dime a dozen.

Indeed, given our current political and social quandary, it may even be that bad ideas (in times of populist-fascist domination) are particularly attractive while good ideas are deemed objects of contempt.

This morning, I was moved to add another "good idea for the body politic" to my eponymous blog post. 

I Propose Creation Of A "Shadow Congress" Whose Members Are Chosen At Random

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2018/09/i-propose-creation-of-shadow-congress.html

Pax On Both Houses: Good Ideas For The Body Politic

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/10/pax-on-both-houses-good-ideas-for-body.html

What moved me to make this addition was a TED Talk that coincided with my idea for replacing politicians (at least as we know them) with randomly chosen citizens. https://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2018/10/ted-radio-hour-hacking-law-chimpanzees.html 

I realize this idea seems outrageous. 

But take a closer look. 

I venture you'll "warm to the prospect" and come away with a sense that we've developed a "democracy" in which our politicians, by and large, are truly "the best that money can buy." 

You may even come away with a persistent sense that we are not passing through a "democratic anomaly," but rather have "designed" our systematic pretense to endure as "the new normal." 

Wave the flag. 

Proclaim the platitudes. 

And sell our birthright for a mess of pottage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mess_of_pottage

Princeton Researches Conclude That U.S. Is No Longer A Democracy

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/04/princeton-concludes-what-kind-of.html

In closing - and given your keen interest in Native American culture, history and politics - I draw your attention to PolitiFact's "Viral Meme Says Constitution 'Owes Its Notion Of Democracy To The Iroquois'" https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/dec/02/facebook-posts/viral-meme-says-constitution-owes-its-notion-democ/ (Native American tribes were no stranger to relatively-random leadership roles.)

Christopher Columbus Was A Pimp And A Sex Slave Merchant

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2018/05/christopher-columbus-was-pimp-and-sex.html

Love,

D(addy) man