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the House is not just about voting; it is also about debating. It's difficult enough for our 435 member House to debate the issues adequately. It would be nearly impossible in a 6,000 member House. Will had the right idea in bringing up direct democracy, because I see no reason why a 6,000 member House that is incapable of adequately debating the issues is any better than just having a direct democracy where each citizen gets a vote on the issue. And there's a reason we don't have a direct democracy.
Representing constituents is a significant part of the job, but the representatives exist as people who (theoretically) can take the time to research the issues when the average citizen cannot. This is why being a politician has become a career these days, as our world and the issues in it become increasingly complex. I don't want a House where the members just meet and vote and don't listen to each other. I want a House where the members debate with each other and learn from each other - even if those other people don't represent the same constituents - and are swayed by arguments. With 435 members, it's bad enough that debates rarely have enough time to get into the real meat of issues, and representatives just talk at each other rather than debate with each other. With 6,000 representatives - especially if they're literally "phoning in" their votes - the idea of debating issues in the House would become entirely unreasonable.
There's another thing that's being forgotten here: state governments. It's much more reasonable to fight for returning power to state governments - bodies which are necessarily closer to and more accountable to their constituents - than to drastically change the federal government to more closely represent citizens. The discussion here is going on as if the House is the part of government closest to the people, and that it is therefore unacceptable for House members to represent such large constituencies. But there are so many other governmental bodies which are closer to the people and more easily held accountable. You don't need a 6,000 member House when the state government has a more important role in the lives of its citizens.
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Le temps détruit tout
"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling
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