Since this book is rather long (at least for an internet post) I've decided to post a link to the website where you can read it in it's entirety. I will go through the main points in paraphraised form here so we can discuss with out spending an hour reading.
http://ameria.com/
Most of the overview is in chapter one, two through nine are about more international reforms and specific issues, and ten through fifteen are unrelated topics he felt like writting about.
Anyway, the points:
Each Congressional District shall elect two unrelated Representatives; - one male and one female... There being 435 districts, that gives us 870 Legislators. Some additions may be made for the Territories, as at present, for population growth and for certain groups whose members are disbarred from serving as Legislators. These groups are not disenfranchised and may serve in appointive administrative positions but not in policy determination. They are Lawyers, Clerics and military officers above the rank of Major or Lt. Commander.
For the most part I agree with what he says here with the exception of equal sexual representation, because women have repeatedly proven in recent years that they can reach the hights of men in politics.
To qualify for election as a Representative, one must:
Be at least 32 years old but not more than 72 on election day.
Have been a resident of the District for the previous 5 years, without interruption, and a registered voter, in good standing, during that period of time.
Have been a citizen of the nation for 14 years.
Be a graduate of an accredited 4-year college. At this point it should be noted that this is not much of a restriction because generous governmental programs give everyone a chance at college and, on the other hand, today's secondary schools are inadequate to their task. Our country deserves well-prepared people, and those who would serve their country must do all they can to ready themselves for the task.
OK, might need education reform with that but still good.
All applicants or candidates must receive equal funds, exposure, and opportunity during the entire campaign.
Maybe, limits 1st amendment.
The term of a Representative shall be six years. Elections shall be rotated among the Districts so that 1/3 of the House will be subject to replacement every 2 years, thus giving major portions of the electorate a chance to be heard at short intervals. Such a schedule of potential replacement of Representatives provides for gradual change while maintaining a basic stability in governmental policy.
No changes there.
Seniority in the House shall not be observed.
I like that part, that would make it so that the districts will always have an equal footing.
The Senate shall be disbanded.
The President shall be elected by the House of Representatives out of its own membership.
NO. Far too British
That would risk corruption of the congress if you don't let the people decide who has the ability to keep the legislature in check. That is like letting the princes choose their king. There shall be no Vice President. The House will elect a replacement when circumstances require it. That replacement shall serve as President for a full term to the nearest regular biennial election date.
See above.
All Members except the President and the Department Heads must continue to reside and office in their districts, where they will maintain a regular and frequent schedule of face-to-face meetings with small groups of randomly selected constituents of both sexes.
Absoloutly, Washington keeps representatives occupied and out of touch with those who elected them.
Ameria is to be a "Participatory Democracy". That means that opportunity must be broadened and everyone should get involved in government or in the community in one way or another, but voting is the main duty of all citizens; those who are eligible to do so, but do not vote in the local and national elections will not qualify for the benefits of citizenship, such as drivers licenses, student loans, medical assistance, etc. The Legislature will set the rules for this as well as for everything else.
I'm a reluctant sceptic about this one. Seems wrong to deny rights of citizenship to people who make a choice. However it would solve the problem with lack of voter turnout.
To recap, the main points are:
We will adopt "Ameria" as our name.
We will become a participatory democracy.
We will have a unicameral Legislature.
The Legislature will have an equal number of men and women.
All power shall reside in the Legislature.
Rich and poor alike shall have equal opportunity to run for office at Government expense.
The President and the Executive Committee will be elected by the Legislature.
The Legislators will stay at home and keep in very close touch with their people.
We will be "One Nation, -INDIVISIBLE---", with uniform Laws and Judicial systems.
Your thoughts, I've been itching to debate this for a while now.
