[EM] language/framing quibble

[Fred Gohlke]

Whoops!

It was your entire post of Mon Sep 8 03:44:51 PDT 2008

I didn't cite it because I was responding to the entire post, which follows:

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One option is to select the legislature at random.  Stratified random 
sampling would yield a highly representative legislature.  The 
population would be split into N groups, such that each group is 
reasonably homogeneous and then 1 person picked from each group.  This 
also reduces the benefit from corrupting the random process.  Also, 
corrupting the stratification just increases the random variance, it 
doesn't actually change the expect result.  Corrupting both means that 
you get to pick the legislature.

This has the advantage that it eliminates the point in campaigning. 
Every 5 years, a group of people get a mail in the post informing them 
that they have been selected for 'legislature duty' .. though unlike 
Juries they would presumably be paid.

The disadvantage (or advantage depending on your viewpoint) is that it 
leads to a legislature made up of average people.

I have suggested that a way around it is to have a multi-stage process. 
  The people picked at random are asked to select the 'person they know 
who they would most respect to hold office' and that generates a second 
group.  The rule would require that the person picked is somehow 
connected to them, say friends or family members.  After a few stages, 
say 10, the final group becomes the legislature.

This should result in a reasonably competent legislature (assuming each 
person picks someone more competent than themselves) and the rule that 
you must pick a friend/family members for each link means that 
campaigning is pointless.

This resulting legislature would then appoint the PM (or nominate 2 
candidates for President) and approve any cabinet posts.

The big disadvantage is that it is unlikely that a person would be 
re-elected.  This could lead to short term thinking.  OTOH, each 
legislator would know that he will have to live in the country after his 
term ends, so he won't want to mess up to badly.
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