Comments on: The new senators http://snarkmarket.com/2010/5228 The stomping grounds of Tim Carmody, Robin Sloan and Matt Thompson. It's a long-running conversation about media, journalism, technology, cities, culture, design, books, music, movies, the future and the past. Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:20:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Robin Sloan http://snarkmarket.com/2010/5228/comment-page-1#comment-8877 Robin Sloan Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:19:47 +0000 http://snarkmarket.com/?p=5228#comment-8877 "...and they can take their senator along the ride with them." That line—that imagined political dynamic—made me grin. There's a great story waiting there. “…and they can take their senator along the ride with them.”

That line—that imagined political dynamic—made me grin. There’s a great story waiting there.

]]> By: Saheli http://snarkmarket.com/2010/5228/comment-page-1#comment-8874 Saheli Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:31:35 +0000 http://snarkmarket.com/?p=5228#comment-8874 Regarding (1): it's possible that if we were thinking along such stongly numerical lines, we would be much more aware of the interdependencies between the classes. I'm assuming this would be by household income normalized for number of adults and children in the household, in which case you would suddenly be much more aware of how your college-graduate children had one set of economic-interests and your cousin the industrialist had another. You'd also be aware of your own changes through life. Regarding (2) people are much more likely to want to trade up to the higher classes than they are to want to move. they will be pushing on their senator to make things such that a large bulk of them trade up to a higher bracket, and they can take their senator along the ride with them. Regarding (1): it’s possible that if we were thinking along such stongly numerical lines, we would be much more aware of the interdependencies between the classes. I’m assuming this would be by household income normalized for number of adults and children in the household, in which case you would suddenly be much more aware of how your college-graduate children had one set of economic-interests and your cousin the industrialist had another. You’d also be aware of your own changes through life.

Regarding (2) people are much more likely to want to trade up to the higher classes than they are to want to move. they will be pushing on their senator to make things such that a large bulk of them trade up to a higher bracket, and they can take their senator along the ride with them.

]]> By: Matt Saler http://snarkmarket.com/2010/5228/comment-page-1#comment-8868 Matt Saler Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:48:52 +0000 http://snarkmarket.com/?p=5228#comment-8868 I definitely see the appeal of altering the makeup up the Senate in general, but this specific idea rubs me the wrong way. What incentive is there for 1) the senators representing different classes to work together, and 2) the senators representing the lower classes to work to improve their lot in life? The first consideration puts us right where we are now, with regional interests preempting national in the best case of the senatefail scenario (i.e. when they're not catering to special interests that aren't tied to a state). With a class-based senate that problem becomes, well, class-based. The second consideration can be addressed by allowing Senators representing the lower classes to be able to graduate to middle class representation, but I'm still not convinced this route works. While we're talking Senate fixes, I'm convinced that sucking money out of politics via the Lessig method will go a long way. I'm also tossing around an idea I read the other day of longer terms combined with term limits. That'd stop the endless campaigning (in theory) and maybe allow the more industrious inhabitants of Congress to do their jobs. I definitely see the appeal of altering the makeup up the Senate in general, but this specific idea rubs me the wrong way. What incentive is there for 1) the senators representing different classes to work together, and 2) the senators representing the lower classes to work to improve their lot in life?

The first consideration puts us right where we are now, with regional interests preempting national in the best case of the senatefail scenario (i.e. when they’re not catering to special interests that aren’t tied to a state). With a class-based senate that problem becomes, well, class-based.

The second consideration can be addressed by allowing Senators representing the lower classes to be able to graduate to middle class representation, but I’m still not convinced this route works.

While we’re talking Senate fixes, I’m convinced that sucking money out of politics via the Lessig method will go a long way. I’m also tossing around an idea I read the other day of longer terms combined with term limits. That’d stop the endless campaigning (in theory) and maybe allow the more industrious inhabitants of Congress to do their jobs.

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