Monday, January 07, 2008
Ken Arnold Proposes Congresional Reform
THE 21st Century Congress Act
BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM:
Our Congressional representation and voting systems are stuck in the 19th century! At the start of our Republic, legislators had to be physically present to cast their votes and represent their Districts. In these early times, voting was via a raising of hands, compilation of voting forms, or shouting of voice. In later times legislators physically flip switches or push buttons to then have their vote show up on lighted panels. But why must they always be physically present to cast their vote?
In our modern age, citizens do not have to travel to Wall Street and deal with a floor trader to buy or sell a security. Nor do they have to physically go to their bank’s teller window to ask what their bank balance is. Today…using computers, high speed data links, passwords and encryption, and other tools, we Americans can do just about anything virtually that we can do physically. One American recently even went so far to prove this point as to lock himself in an empty apartment and then commence to live for months on end with merely a computer and a communications link to the internet to tend to his every need. Interesting to note on this experiment … it worked!
If we Americans are now so advanced…why aren’t our United States House of Representatives and Senate? These government bodies are still not much better than the horse and buggy era when - then as now - a Congressman or Senator away or unavailable due to many understandable events (e.g. death in the family, major event in the District, or even personal illness), CAUSED THEIR ENTIRE DISTRICT TO BE DISENFRANCHISED! Basically, the District suddenly has no voice when their legislator simply cannot get himself into the chambers to physically transact his vote. This observation causes one to ask the important question:
“Should the floor of Congress truly be that much different
than the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in transacting the Peoples’ business?
ANALYSIS AND SOLUTION:
It can, indeed, be argued that there IS a difference between the floor of Congress and the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and other venues where totally electronic, remote communications happen every day. When one transacts a stock sale, one doesn’t need to lobby for anybody’s support, or outline all of the reasons why one is either buying or selling a security. But in Congress, this interaction is certainly desirable, necessary and advisable in most instances. Being physically together as a legislative body allows for this interaction even when one can, today, use email lists and telephones for much of that interaction as well.
But like corporate businesses who hold physical meetings periodically to decide various policies and initiatives among the staff despite all the interim communications via emails and telephones, there is a desirability to encourage physical interaction between our Federal legislators.
Even today, however, one does not see this interaction on a continuous basis. One need only tune into CSPAN many times to see a relatively empty chamber and know that the legislators are away and ensconced within their offices or other buildings around Washington. Only when there’s an actual vote do they, many times, physically scurry to the floor to simply transact such vote – and leave. So even today, legislator to legislator interaction is certainly there – but it is not there 100 percent of the time.
To solve the very serious issue of disenfranchising a District’s citizens by virtue of understandable, physical absences – and to more fully utilize modern technology within the Congress – it is highly reasonable and desirable to at least allow a portion of all votes to be transacted remotely. The number of remote votes would not be so often as to isolate Congressmen and Senators from one another or encourage them not to be in physical proximity to one another -- but it would be often enough that most all unavoidable absences would never cause a legislator from not registering their vote on behalf of their constituents.
This 21st Century Congress Act would attempt to strike the right balance between continuous representation and desired interaction. Additionally, after being implemented, the Congress would be free to somewhat adjust the percentage quota specified below based upon its experience with the new capability. The Act would be implemented as follows:
1) The total number of all votes cast in the prior session of Congress shall be determined and a number representing ten percent (10%) of such votes previously cast shall be determined. This will be called the “Maximum Remote Vote Quota”.
2) Each legislator in the new session of Congress shall have a right to remotely cast their vote up to the Maximum Remote Vote Quota for that session of Congress. The Maximum Remote Vote Quota shall not be cumulative over multiple sessions of Congress but are only applicable to the specific session of Congress in question.
3) When a legislator wishes to cast their vote remotely, they may do so via any of the below means (more may be added by Congress as well):
a) Via existing secure link computers within their Washington and local District offices.
b) Via existing secure link computer systems operated by the Department of Defense at designated facilities throughout the world.
4) Over a period of four (4) years from enactment, a geographically disbursed number of these designated computers would also be equipped with video conferencing capability (i.e. video camera and software).
After enactment of this initiative, Federal legislators would be issued user identifications and passwords for additional security purposes. Additionally, within one week of their remote vote, the Representative or Senator would receive a paper confirmation of such vote. Lastly, although a very remote possibility: If there were any occasion of a falsely cast vote, the legislator could amend their vote via written affidavit at that time and a full, FBI investigation into such breach would then be commenced.
ADVANTAGES:
The overall advantage of The 21st Century Congress initiative is that our country will now use the technology of the 21st century to allow Congressmen and Senators (along with their constituents) to avoid being without a voice at all times. Additionally, the 21st Century Congress initiative:
1) Allows those legislators living far away from Washington (e.g. California, Alaska, etc.) to be a bit more with their families and constituents for a multiple of legitimate needs than is presently able to be arranged.
2) Should make for common citizens to see their Federal legislators a bit more often and be more physically involved within the District when important local events must demand their attentions.
3) Allows a legislator to no longer have to be totally disrupted in the middle of a committee or other business meeting around Washington merely to race down to the chambers to cast a 1 minute vote and leave. If they now so choose, they can simply go to a nearby secure computer in these offices, transact their vote, and return to their meeting four or five minutes later.
4) Still encourages necessary, physical interaction among the legislators by only allowing a modest percentage of votes to be cast remotely.
5) In case of heightened terrorist threat or physical destruction of the Capitol Building, provides a ready made method of conducting the business of Congress - including vote taking - while either the facilities are unavailable or it is advisable to not assemble the body together (due to the physical concentration of members and resultant security concerns).
CONCLUSION:
Yes…transacting the business of Congress may be a bit different than transacting many other items of business within our society. However: It is not so much different that we have to still totally be lashed to the horse and buggy era. No. We should take advantage of our Nation’s technology to properly balance our present practical needs and potential national security needs. For in this process, we not only ensure that no citizen’s voice is lost at any time within Congress – we also lay the operational groundwork to ensure the continuing operation of Congress - and the Nation.
Ken Arnold – Republican Candidate for U.S. Congress
8th District of Illinois
Written: January 4, 2008
ARNOLD FOR CONGRESS
“ Strong, Creative Leadership . . . for the 21 st Century ! “
Labels: 8th Congressional District, Congressional Reform, Ken Arnold
