Brian Ross wrote on May 24
th, 2019 at 2:57pm:
Mortdooley wrote on May 23
rd, 2019 at 10:11pm:
Brian Ross wrote on May 23
rd, 2019 at 1:15pm:
The American electoral system is sick and is slowly dying. The use of simplistic first-past-the-post voting coupled with the unfair electoral college system results in skewed outcomes like the 2016 election where the least popular candidate now sits in the Oval Office. The USA would be far better off if they moved to a preferential voting system and had a Parliamentary system. It would provide the people with a real voice for a change and allow them to put into the White House who they actually want, rather than el Presidente' Trump.
As more people become dependent on government handouts they will choose to vote for more free stuff and turn their backs on freedom.
So, spoken like a real Rethuglian, hey, Mort?
"Free stuff" has been around for generations.
I don't see the majority of Americans voting for more "free stuff". You really have a low opinion of your fellow Americans, don't you?
You have however, failed to address the points I made, Mort. Hardly surprising, really. I know you have no experience of alternative voting systems or Parliamentary Democracy. You should experience them, they are superior to the primitive first-past-the-post system and your hideously complex and unrepresentative Congress and Senate.
If you don't see the "free Sh1t Army" you haven't looked at the Bernie Sanders crowd!
You haven't made any points, just posted your opinion. Texas has a much better grasp of how our representative Republic is intended to work. Here Congress only meets every other year and is poorly paid which is a good thing. Because the paycheck is small these people have to support themselves with real jobs. Because the distance between their districts and the Capital is relatively close to most they don't live away from the constituents when Congress isn't in session. My Representative in Austin has a successful Insurance Agency in the City I live just outside of. I can drive from my home to the Capital in less than three hours.
https://www.thoughtco.com/salaries-and-benefits-of-congress-members-3322282However those who make it to Washington:
Rank-and-File Members:
The current salary (2019) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $174,000 per year.
Members are free to turn down pay increase and some choose to do so.
In a complex system of calculations, administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, congressional pay rates also affect the salaries of federal judges and other senior government executives.
Congress: Leadership Members' Salary (2019)
Leaders of the House and Senate are paid a higher salary than rank-and-file members.
Senate Leadership
Majority Party Leader - $193,400
Minority Party Leader - $193,400
House Leadership
Speaker of the House - $223,500
Majority Leader - $193,400
Minority Leader - $193,400
Each Member of both Houses of Congress have an expense budget of over a million dollars a year for Staff and everything else they can spend it on.
Without term limits these people represent their own interests over those of the voters and that is the flaw in the system. Political contributions to influence their votes while they lie to the Public that the problem is the other guy, whoever that is at the moment.
When the government robs Peter to pay Paul it can always depend on Pauls vote. I don't have a poor opinion of my fellow Americans, I have a poor opinion of the people who have become dependent on those of us who pull our own weight! Charity should be returned to the Churches and the people who receive support should have to face those who care for them rather than a free check from a faceless government department. If you need help, we will find something for you to do in return.