I know there are people who have done a version of this already, but let's make it a big deal. A national contest for college and other developers to create algorithms/apps that generate fair and sensible voting districts. $10 million dollar reward for the winning team/individual. Implement the winning solution nationwide to end gerrymandering.
Category: Political Thoughts
The Originalist Solution to the 2nd Amendment
As ridiculous as it is to create and judge 21st century laws based upon whether or not our 18th century Founding Fathers were clairvoyant enough to included specific solutions for the social, technological, and political challenges we face today in the founding documents that they created 250 years ago, Constitutional Originalism is still ascendent on … Continue reading The Originalist Solution to the 2nd Amendment
The Missed Point of Faith
After thousands -- even tens of thousands -- of years of practice, the faithful have always somehow missed the ultimate point of faith. The point of religion and faith isn't to spend a lifetime groveling before god, begging it to make your life better, or nagging it to intervene in affairs you ought to be … Continue reading The Missed Point of Faith
To Those of Extremist Faith
Author's note: I originally wrote this a few days after the Pulse nightclub shootings, hence some of the specific references. And though it's christian-centric, the message is universally applicable. To those of extremist faith: God's job is not your job. It's his universe. They're his rules. He is the decider. He is the punisher. And … Continue reading To Those of Extremist Faith
Enough for Everyone
You don't need more.You need enough.And we've reached the point in America where it's harder to satisfy the voracious few who always want more than it would be to ensure everyone has enough.It's long past time for change.
Publicize the Price of Life
The NRA gives and publicizes grades for politicians based on their support of NRA priorities.Someone needs to do the math on how much the NRA donates to each politician versus how many children have been killed by guns in their areas of representation during their terms in office.Then publish the price they put on those … Continue reading Publicize the Price of Life
Taking Away Rights
Those who would take away others' rights won't stop with those rights. Or those people.Once they're done stripping the rights you don't mind losing -- because their loss hurts mainly people you don't mind hurting -- they will come for (the rest of) your rights, too.I thought this was deeply entrenched common knowledge. Why do … Continue reading Taking Away Rights
Rotating Congressional Committee Control
Many of the real answers to our political problems lie in breaking the two-party system. But since we're likely to be stuck with it for a long time to come, here's one idea to spread power out. Rotate party control of congressional committees every two years, regardless of which party is in power. Just swap … Continue reading Rotating Congressional Committee Control
God, the Abortionist
Studies have shown that half of all pregnancies worldwide end in miscarriage. That means that miscarriage is not an anomaly. It is not unusual. In fact, miscarriage is the most common result of pregnancy. In 2018, the year of the most recent such study I could find, there were 140.2 million births worldwide. Another 42 … Continue reading God, the Abortionist
God Doesn’t Care About Abortion
In multiple places, the Bible explicitly states that a child isn’t alive until it is filled with the breath of life … that is, when it takes its first breath. The abortion of a fetus is not the ending of a person’s life, as the fetus is not a person – and has not been … Continue reading God Doesn’t Care About Abortion
Heath Fogelman, author 