US Midterm Elections Megathread III: Hitting The Wall

[Northern Davincia]

Gun control doesn't work the way you think it does. If someone banned video games, should it be justified on account of no one needing video games?

Video games dont cause violence and you could not ban them as it falls under freedom of speech and likely other things.

I never said I thought i knew everything.

Guns also don't cause violence. I am a gun owner and nonviolent. My neighbors and family own guns and are nonviolent. If you want further demonstration as to why you're wrong, hop over to the gun control thread.

[San Lumen]

Video games dont cause violence and you could not ban them as it falls under freedom of speech and likely other things.

I never said I thought i knew everything.

Guns also don't cause violence. I am a gun owner and nonviolent. My neighbors and family own guns and are nonviolent. If you want further demonstration as to why you're wrong, hop over to the gun control thread.

Ok well lets get back to representation then before we got into this tangent. I would support IRV or MMP but not straight proportional. Id rather have someone from my community representing me who knows the issues and concerns of the area and not get someone from Hamilton County I know nothing about who doenst know a thing about the issues in my neighborhood.

[Shrillland]

Guns also don't cause violence. I am a gun owner and nonviolent. My neighbors and family own guns and are nonviolent. If you want further demonstration as to why you're wrong, hop over to the gun control thread.

Ok well lets get back to representation then before we got into this tangent. I would support IRV or MMP but not straight proportional. Id rather have someone from my community representing me who knows the issues and concerns of the area and not get someone from Hamilton County I know nothing about who doenst know a thing a about the issues in my neighborhood.

Well, yeah, that only makes sense. I never supported straight up PR for that reason, I'd still want a local representative...even though I've never agreed with any of mine, but still.

[Northern Davincia]

Guns also don't cause violence. I am a gun owner and nonviolent. My neighbors and family own guns and are nonviolent. If you want further demonstration as to why you're wrong, hop over to the gun control thread.

Ok well lets get back to representation then before we got into this tangent. I would support IRV or MMP but not straight proportional. Id rather have someone from my community representing me who knows the issues and concerns of the area and not get someone from Hamilton County I know nothing about who doenst know a thing about the issues in my neighborhood.

Your area will, in all likelihood, still have its own legislative district(s).

[Shrillland]

Ok well lets get back to representation then before we got into this tangent. I would support IRV or MMP but not straight proportional. Id rather have someone from my community representing me who knows the issues and concerns of the area and not get someone from Hamilton County I know nothing about who doenst know a thing about the issues in my neighborhood.

Your area will, in all likelihood, still have its own legislative district(s).

In any event, the question them becomes how do we implement something that would require both the Federal government to change the numbers and all 50 states to change the way that Reps are elected?

[San Lumen]

Ok well lets get back to representation then before we got into this tangent. I would support IRV or MMP but not straight proportional. Id rather have someone from my community representing me who knows the issues and concerns of the area and not get someone from Hamilton County I know nothing about who doenst know a thing about the issues in my neighborhood.

Your area will, in all likelihood, still have its own legislative district(s).

Under mmp yes but not straight PR

[Northern Davincia]

Your area will, in all likelihood, still have its own legislative district(s).

In any event, the question them becomes how do we implement something that would require both the Federal government to change the numbers and all 50 states to change the way that Reps are elected?

Neither party will allow it as long as it harms their control. The first step is to inform Americans about MMP on a massive scale.

[San Lumen]

In any event, the question them becomes how do we implement something that would require both the Federal government to change the numbers and all 50 states to change the way that Reps are elected?

Neither party will allow it as long as it harms their control. The first step is to inform Americans about MMP on a massive scale.

Ok and it would then require changing the voting rights act as at large seats are prohibited at the federal and state level. The only exception is if the population only allows for one representative in congress. You would then have to double the size of the legislature which many current legislative buildings including the US Capitol and the New York State Capitol would not be able to accommodate. That’s only two of the many problems switching

Also the amount of electoral college votes would double for every state as well

[Northern Davincia]

Neither party will allow it as long as it harms their control. The first step is to inform Americans about MMP on a massive scale.

Ok and it would then require changing the voting rights act as at large seats are prohibited at the federal and state level. The only exception is if the population only allows for one representative in congress. You would then have to double the size of the legislature which many current legislative buildings including the US Capitol and the New York State Capitol would not be able to accommodate. That’s only two of the many problems switching

Also the amount of electoral college votes would double for every state as well

Those are all temporary problems, and if it means democracy in America can be saved, I'll take it.

[Communist Winnipeg]

The Equal Rights Amendment was introduced in the US Congress for the first time in 1921... It remains unratified. Don't expect a fair change to your voting system.

[Shrillland]

Neither party will allow it as long as it harms their control. The first step is to inform Americans about MMP on a massive scale.

Ok and it would then require changing the voting rights act as at large seats are prohibited at the federal and state level. The only exception is if the population only allows for one representative in congress. You would then have to double the size of the legislature which many current legislative buildings including the US Capitol and the New York State Capitol would not be able to accommodate. That’s only two of the many problems switching

Also the amount of electoral college votes would double for every state as well

Maybe. We're closer to electing presidents by popular vote via the Interstate Compact, so that wouldn't be that big of a deal.

[San Lumen]

Ok and it would then require changing the voting rights act as at large seats are prohibited at the federal and state level. The only exception is if the population only allows for one representative in congress. You would then have to double the size of the legislature which many current legislative buildings including the US Capitol and the New York State Capitol would not be able to accommodate. That’s only two of the many problems switching

Also the amount of electoral college votes would double for every state as well

Those are all temporary problems, and if it means democracy in America can be saved, I'll take it.

In my view democracy was saved by the last election. Are you going to be willing to have your tax dollars spent on a multi million dollar expansion to the state Capitol when that money could be going to roads and bridges, education and countless other things?

[Northern Davincia]

Those are all temporary problems, and if it means democracy in America can be saved, I'll take it.

In my view democracy was saved by the last election. Are you going to be willing to have your tax dollars spent on a multi million dollar expansion to the state Capitol when that money could be going to roads and bridges, education and countless other things?

Democracy was not saved last election because all of the underlying problems are still there. The two party state strangles competition, money often decides the victor, gerrymandering continues throughout the US, etc.
An expansion of buildings paired with election reform is a small price, and I'll happily take it over things we can pay for later.

[San Lumen]

In my view democracy was saved by the last election. Are you going to be willing to have your tax dollars spent on a multi million dollar expansion to the state Capitol when that money could be going to roads and bridges, education and countless other things?

Democracy was not saved last election because all of the underlying problems are still there. The two party state strangles competition, money often decides the victor, gerrymandering continues throughout the US, etc.
An expansion of buildings paired with election reform is a small price, and I'll happily take it over things we can pay for later.

Gerrymandering was outlawed in Michigan, Colorado, Utah and Missouri this year via referendum and in New York in 2014

[Northern Davincia]

Democracy was not saved last election because all of the underlying problems are still there. The two party state strangles competition, money often decides the victor, gerrymandering continues throughout the US, etc.
An expansion of buildings paired with election reform is a small price, and I'll happily take it over things we can pay for later.

Gerrymandering was outlawed in Michigan, Colorado, Utah and Missouri this year via referendum and in New York in 2014

It still exists in the majority of the country, and the independent commission has yet to take action in NY.

[San Lumen]

Gerrymandering was outlawed in Michigan, Colorado, Utah and Missouri this year via referendum and in New York in 2014

It still exists in the majority of the country, and the independent commission has yet to take action in NY.

It will in 2021

[Northern Davincia]

It still exists in the majority of the country, and the independent commission has yet to take action in NY.

It will in 2021

We also have yet to determine if it will truly be unbiased.

[San Lumen]

It will in 2021

We also have yet to determine if it will truly be unbiased.

We will find out then won’t we?

[Thermodolia]

Don't ever assume that cops or soldiers will remain as they are should things seem like they will collapse. Rome didn't fall until it did.

True but we are far from that point. There isn’t going to be a march by farmers into Philadelphia or Chicago that start acts of mass violence

The Bonus Army would like a word with you

[Thermodolia]

Again I ask what does this have to do with anything?


That’s what the senate is for. 5 senators per state elected by STV.


You’ll still have state and local governments dude

Is quite simple really. Why shouldn’t someone from Albany or Jefferson City have someone who lived in the community represent then in the state legislature or congress and not have to wonder if the party will take up their issues and concerns?

Dude that’s what the state and local governments are for. The federal government is something totally different and should represent the nation not some small ass part of it.

And do senators have to be from certain areas?

Only the states they represent. You would have five senators for each state elected by STV.

Would state governments not be by proportional representation?

If they want to be. We have a federal system the states can chose any electoral system.

[Thermodolia]

Care to explain why Cuomo never talked about upstate NY during the gubernatorial debates? Care to explain why upstate population loss is worse now than ever before?
The chances of someone from the Bronx not getting elected are slim to none, and once again, Europeans seem to have this figured out.

Plus do you know how expensive it would be to wage a campaign for the state legislature across the entirely of New York?

Actually it would be less so. In a PR system you’re voting for the party not the individuals therefore it’s less expensive to run a state wide campaign than a bunch of little campaigns across the state

[Thermodolia]

What regulations would you cut?

Legalize recreational marijuana and fracking, lower the minimum wage, repeal the SAFE Act, and drastically lower wasteful spending in education.

Fracking is a bit iffy. Needs more research. Just get rid of the minimum wage and replace it with collectivization agreements.

[Shrillland]

Plus do you know how expensive it would be to wage a campaign for the state legislature across the entirely of New York?

Actually it would be less so. In a PR system you’re voting for the party not the individuals therefore it’s less expensive to run a state wide campaign than a bunch of little campaigns across the state

Only in a closed list. In Open List PR, the individuals at the top(the ones who will get the first seats) could be considered by voters who may not like some of the individuals.

[Shrillland]

Legalize recreational marijuana and fracking, lower the minimum wage, repeal the SAFE Act, and drastically lower wasteful spending in education.

Fracking is a bit iffy. Needs more research. Just get rid of the minimum wage and replace it with collectivization agreements.

That....would actually work pretty well, but Americans are so individualistic that they'd never accept such a proposal.

[Thermodolia]

Neither party will allow it as long as it harms their control. The first step is to inform Americans about MMP on a massive scale.

Ok and it would then require changing the voting rights act as at large seats are prohibited at the federal and state level. The only exception is if the population only allows for one representative in congress. You would then have to double the size of the legislature which many current legislative buildings including the US Capitol and the New York State Capitol would not be able to accommodate. That’s only two of the many problems switching

Also the amount of electoral college votes would double for every state as well

The US Capitol can definitely accommodate 800 representatives. That thing is massive.