In the early 70's former FDR advisor and left-wing economist Rexford Tugwell wrote a book advocating a new constitution for the United States which included, among other things, a reduced number of states, greater power for the executive branch, a parliamentary House of Representatives, and a separate branch of government dedicated to economic planning. It was titled the Newstates of America.
Would you support the establishment of the Newstates of America?
Personally, I would. One of the worst things about the United States today is the abundance of useless states and regions. Some decry the decline of local news and interest in local political affair, but there's a reason for this. People don't care about local politics because the boundaries on which it is drawn often don't make any sense. I used to live in a suburb north of NYC where nobody knew that they lived in a village which was part of a conglomeration of villages whose central body ran most of the public services. The only people who actually engaged in the politics of this conglomeration were middle aged to elderly people who wanted to preserve the value of their homes by blocking the construction of new developments. It isn't better at the state level either. New York State government is a corrupt and inefficient mess. It is refreshing that someone, sometime actually had the nerve to assert we should get rid of states that no longer have any meaningful purpose and merge them. Ideally I think we could have a state called New England encompassing MA, NY, RI, etc., and something similar for the rest of the country. This, I think, would redraw borders in a way that sort of resembles cultural similarities and allow us to achieve better government by concentration of energy on one administration.
That aside I think the constitution has some problems but I'd still support it. Reforming the House of Representatives is a great idea, empowering the president less so but whatever.
What do you think, NSG?
