I think of this question a lot. I listen to the news, I read newspapers and the internet, and I can’t help but wonder how anything gets done. The fact of the matter is that nothing gets done in the way that it’s supposed to.
I’m not against government. I’m against bad government! I believe that we need administrators to make sure that the government is run smoothly and efficiently. In reality, government is a big business. Why can’t it be run like one?
It’s a shame that political parties have made a mockery of how the government is run. Decisions are based on how they can help a candidate and/or a political party, rather than what’s best for the country. Polls show that most people are frustrated with how our government is run. This could be why voter turnout is often low.
It’s also upsetting to watch all the mud-slinging and no-holds-barred attacks in the struggle for absolute power. This results in a toxic type of tribalism that divides the country, pitting us against people we would otherwise get along with. This is a nightmare scenario for anyone who is highly sensitive!
I’m not looking to get into a discussion on specific ideologies or current political leaders, just the political process itself. We elect our leaders, not by competence, but by who’s the best looking person or who has the most engaging personality or who can raise the most money. Is this the best way to run a country?
How about having publicly funded elections to get rid of special interests and reduce all the time that candidates have to spend raising money. Perhaps politicians could be limited to one term with a four-year maximum. That way, they wouldn’t have to worry so much about the next election. Instead, maybe they could actually take steps to do what’s best for the country!
These are a few of my ideas to make things better. Perhaps I’m being too simplistic, but one thing for sure, something definitely needs to change!
What would make the government work better? How can we improve the political process? I’m interested in any thoughts or comments that you have. Please refrain from making partisan comments. I don’t want to start any of our own mud-slinging! 🙂
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Perhaps changing to a proportional representation system of voting, would make things better? Canadians are forced to choose one candidate on our ballots, I.e. pluralism or first-past-the-post. What ends up happening is that people vote strategically for the party that is most likely to take down the candidate they don’t want in power. Many people won’t vote for the party they actually like, because they are scared about who might win if they don’t vote strategically. With a proportional representation system, voters are able to choose several candidates…from several different political parties. Under this system, people from “minority” demographics who frequently feel that their voices aren’t heard via pluralistic political systems, feel like they have a voice. This is the system used in many European countries such as Sweden.
Hi Teal. That sounds interesting. The Electoral College system in the US is antiquated and definitely needs reform! There’s a reason that no other countries have adopted it. In 2 of the last 5 elections, the candidate who got FEWER votes ended up winning the election! That seems crazy to me. Losing the Electoral College and winning the popular vote has been historically very rare, but the odds are higher today because of geographical sorting. Perhaps proportional representation would help reduce “minority rule” and open the door for more than just 2 political parties. I think it would be great if we had more party options. Some in the US want to abolish the Electoral College and use the popular vote. I have no idea which system is best, but I definitely think the US should explore other options and learn from what is working well in other countries.
Hi Teal,
I don’t know what the best answer for political systems is! I do like your idea!
Leave it to a highly sensitive person to figure things out!
That’s what we do…Don’t we?