[EM] language/framing quibble

[Fred Gohlke]

Good Morning, Terry Bouricius

re: "... I have long advocated a greater use of sortition (the selection 
by lot) to select legislators ..."

It seems to me the problem with picking people by lot is that it 
provides no means of examining them.  I understand that it produces a 
random sample of the electorate, but why would it not be better to 
devise a means of examining candidates so we may select the best among them?


re: "I can assure you all that legislators are not more qualified, nor 
wiser, as Burke hoped, but rather simply less-representative and more 
egotistical, than average people."

That's true and it is screaming evidence that our candidate selection 
method is flawed.  We can, indeed, do better by picking people by lot, 
but that's only because the present system elevates unscrupulous people 
by design.  We have, among us, many people of intellect and integrity. 
What we lack is a means of finding them and raising them to positions of 
leadership.

We should make a conscious effort to select the best among us rather 
than settle for throwing darts against a wall.

Fred