Abolish elections

America is a political and economic success. Both parties share the responsibility for this success and both are committed to maintaining it. The electoral system, which guarantees the rights of the citizenry to govern itself, however, has become inimical to the welfare of the country. Why? Because elections are only about gaining power for the purpose of imposing the will of one constituency over another. This has a deleterious effect on the ability of the country to solve problems that affect the welfare of the total. Therefore I propose the abolition of the electoral system.

One sign of America’s success is the fact that over time constituencies on either side of the middle have been afforded the right to govern. This is a healthy sign because to deny any constituency the right to power for a long time can lead to civil war or revolution. However wise the democracy has been in keeping long term power out of the hands of a single constituency the downside has been that progress in solving certain apparently chronic problems has suffered. It has suffered in this way: party A is elected and puts its agenda into law. Eventually, for whatever reason, the public feels that this party is not serving its needs and it elects party B. Party B proceeds to undo the laws of party A and puts its agenda into law…always believing that it is best for the country. Eventually the public tires of party B and re-elects party A. Party A…you know the drill.

If, however, each party was certain that the other party would come to power in four years there would be no incentive to pursue a partisan agenda and it would be forced to put forth and enforce non-partisan legislation. In this way the country as a whole would benefit.