Public office should be like jury duty

[jollyreaper2112]

This is something a classmate in my cert class said last night with regards to the Dem cave-in. "Public office should be like jury duty. You don't get to decide when you serve, the computer just matches education to office and assigns you a term. It's not something you're supposed to enjoy, it's something you just have to do."

I said "Sounds good, but you're missing one thing: if you do a bad job, you get stuck in another term. Do a good job and you're out in one."

Yeah, I know it's a bit simplistic but at this point even simplistic and impractical seems better than overly complicated and unworkable.

[SheilaT]

1. Not to mention

too many people get out of jury duty simply because they don't want to do it. Or they are rejected during jury selection for some reason or another.

[rasputin1952]

2. I have always said that the members of Congress should be

paid minimum wage w/o and perks, and the pres and Cobinet should get less than $45,000 a year.

Want to see things change for those that work for the MW and show more courage than the members of Congress, just take away the notion of privlege. I love how the people that ARE the gov't, complain about the gov't. No group complains more about how bloated and wasteful gov't is than members of Congress and the Executive Branch. If they hate it so much why are they there?

:D

[spinbaby]

3. Bad idea

If we don't pay public servants decently then only the wealthy can afford to be public servants.

[rasputin1952]

5. So we pay them well now, all we have are the rich in office

setting up the new aristocracy. Essentially, there would be no difference.

In my expanded view, which I haven't put out there, as it is a ponderous writing, all elections would be publicly funded w/a limit of $ being spent relatively low. Candidates would have to get out there and meet people in areas where they congregate, and go door to door. The first "attack ad" would disqualify a candidate and issues only would be discussed, except for personal histories and the like.

There's a lot more, but that is taking on the basics. I also realize that this would never be acceptable and would never see th light of day, but if we truly want a Democratic Republic, we need to make some changes.

[qdemn7]

4. Arthur C. Clarke

Had that idea in one of his books, I just can't remember which one.

[kedrys]

7. R.A. Lafferty, Polity and Custom of the Camiroi

Everybody has to serve a short term in one capacity or another, and is mutilated or killed if they do a bad job...or so the Earth visitors are led to believe about that last part.

[TransitJohn]

8. The Songs of Distant Earth.

I think...haven't read that one since I was a kid.

[Crabby Appleton]

6. I agree - shouldn't be a lifetime ride on the gravy train nt