Real Solutions

It’s time to get serious about coming up with real solutions for this country. 

I have a couple and I’m going to write them in this stupid blog with hopes that a couple of the 6 people who read it will see some appeal in one solution I am going to offer for this country and then pass it forward and encourage others to pass it forward as well.

I’ll start with a question. Do you believe you are properly represented by your government right now?

Here is my answer…no. 

Now here is the title of my first proposal…The Five Presidents Project.

The title alone should tell you that I believe having five Presidents, instead of just one, would be a great start to solving some deep problems with our current system of government. But now let’s dig deeper. 

The main problem I am having right now, in particular, is that I am not represented by the Executive Branch of the US Government since a Democrat, Barack Obama, is the President, and the lone person in the Executive Branch, for all intents. 

Also, all three of the politicians from my state of Delaware are Democrats, as is the Governor. While I don’t have representation in the House from Delaware I, at least, can point to other Representatives from other states who are from my party or believe in the things which I do and can vote accordingly. The same thing goes with the Senate. 

In the third branch of government, the Supreme Court, I do have some representation because there are nine judges who stand on different sides in any argument.

So if we have hundreds of people creating and voting on legislation in Congress and nine people making decisions in the Judicial Branch, why do we only have one in the Executive Branch still to this day?

I know that the technical answer is because the Constitution calls for one President, yes.

In 1789 when George Washington became the first President of the United States there were roughly 4 million citizens of what was then 13 states in the Union.

At that time not all 4 million people believed they were represented according to their needs and desires, I am certain. However, one President making decisions in the Executive Branch for 4 million people was perhaps not as unwieldy as it is today.

Washington, in his infinite wisdom, wanted to make sure that his position did not look like one that resembled a King. After all, he helped fight a revolution against a King. 

How would he think that the Presidency would look right now with our population over 300 million…almost 100 times more than when he was the first President of the U.S.A?

Let’s do some real quick math here. In the last election, and basically all elections had relatively similar numbers, Obama received roughly 52% of the vote from those who actually voted.

Immediately that tells you that the other 48% of the people who voted for someone else were instantly not represented in the Executive Branch. 

Then understand that while that 52% is a majority of the voters it was not 52% of all Americans. There are plenty who didn’t vote and plenty who were not yet eligible to vote. So 62 million people of the over 212 million eligible voters (http://www.statisticbrain.com/presidential-election-voter-statistics/) voted which means only 30% actually supported Obama…and the same rings true for every election, as mentioned, and even less support for both of Bill Clinton’s terms each in which he didn’t even get reach 50% of the total vote.

We watch on TV, and social media and read in papers, and online, news about this current election cycle. We see vitriol increase by both people on both sides of the political aisle and it’s easy to see why it is that way; because no matter which person gets elected he, or God forbid, she, will lead the Executive Branch of Government and not truly represent 70% of the population. 

We can certainly break that down even further because we all know that whichever candidate wins, both the Democratic and Republican parties have splits in ideology within them. People have to coalesce around the person that ultimately wins their party’s nomination, even though they might only agree with just half of what that person stands for ideologically. Certainly, voting for the other candidate to make some sort of statement is stupid.

Yes, there are other candidates from other parties running for President for whom someone can vote…Libertarian Party, Green Party, Party of Socialism and Liberation, American Freedom Party, Constitution Party, Objectivist Party, Peace and Freedom Party, Reform Party, Socialist Party, Socialist Workers Party, Veterans Party and Workers World Party, off the top of my head.

So, it is true that there are more than just two choices; one can go vote for any of the above but we all know those are wasted votes…let’s face facts.

In the end, it remains a fact that at least 70% of Americans will NOT be represented in the Executive Branch.

So, here is a real solution.

It’s time to change the Constitution to create FIVE Presidents, or Co-Presidents, of the United States leading the Executive Branch.

I might go as far as to say seven…might compromise at three…but believe we need at least five.

Five people leading the Executive Branch would equate to one for every 60 million people in the country, or so, which is still not on par with the Washington days, but it’s a good start.

Now start to think about it more in depth.

First, let’s break down the five parties and name them, temporarily.

Left Wing
Liberal
Moderate
Conservative
Right Wing

Primaries held during election year would result in determining the top two leading candidates for each of those 5 parties and the election on the first Tuesday in November would give us 5 new leaders. People would still have the ability to vote outside their party on Election Day but it would probably be senseless since they would have two candidates for the party in which they were registered.

Those five leaders would then debate and vote on legislation that came from Congress. They would debate and craft budgets that would get sent to Congress, etc. 

A coalition of leaders instead of just one leader.

Let’s face it. That job is just too much for one person. And the INSTANT they announce their candidacy for President as either a Democrat or Republican they are HATED by half of the WORLD.

I imagine that with 5 parties, each with equal votes in the Executive Branch, that many more people would feel that they had a true voice in their entire government and not just parts of it.

There would still be battles within each party. There would still be battles for inclusion by other parties, but with 5 ideological positions from which to choose there would be fewer major battles and less hate involved.   

I would imagine that most decisions would end up somewhere in the middle. I could see the moderate leader becoming very important. But that’s OK. As it stands there is only one person there now and it just does not work for most of the people in this country. At least people would know that there is someone fighting for what they believe in the Executive Branch.

With this proposal I would also suggest TWO Vice Presidents for each of the parties. I would also say its time to add at least one Senator for each state also, but would prefer 5 for each now. The population count warrants it. The House, at least as far as I believe, grows along with population, but let’s get more people involved in there too. We need MORE people voting and representing us.

This is supposed to be a government of the people and by the people, according to Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address. Currently the power is concentrated in way too few hands in our government. 

This would have an effect on money in politics also. With more people in government the donations would have to spread more widely, if someone was trying to grease all of the wheels of government, anyway. We could see with more precision where bigger donations go and how we would then be able to see the potential effect on the person who received such donations. 

All Cabinet positions would come from nominations voted on by all five leaders before being sent for further confirmation and the same would ring true for Supreme Court nominees. 

One of the Presidents could go golfing one day and, at least, we would have the illusion that four others are working that day.

One of the Presidents could go to a school and read children’s books to kids and, at least we would have the illusion that four others are working that day.

Surely other new issues would arise as a result of any successful implementation of such a new idea let alone trying to arrange a Constitutional Convention, or whatever process is necessary, to change the Constitution. But the most recent poll I saw of Americans who think this country is on the right shows that 67% believe we are on the wrong track and only 26% believe we are on the right track. http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/right_direction_or_wrong_track

That means its time for real change. It means its time for real solutions. I have zero power and zero notoriety. But this is still the country in which I was born and in which I will remain. I believe I have a duty to do whatever I can to help make my life, and those around me, a better one. At the very, very least, I have years of life experience and am willing to think outside the box and offer up ideas which I find out there. 

This can’t be a foreign, or new, concept. I believe its worthy of examination and debate and worthy of being forwarded to as many people as you believe might find it worthy as well.