I have to say, this is quite clever. He should have chosen more catchy and less technical names, though…
On Feb 16, 2013, at 9:28 AM, [email protected] wrote: > > > > > > > > > NPR > Robert Krulwich On Science > A Crazy But Rational Solution To Our Electoral College Problem > > by Robert Krulwich > > February 15, 2013 9:53 AM > Let's pretend. Let's pretend that politics doesn't matter, politicians don't > matter, history doesn't matter, nostalgia doesn't matter, emotion doesn't > matter, habit doesn't matter, romance doesn't matter, prejudice doesn't > matter — all that matters is good old rational, mathematical, > look-at-the-numbers common sense. > > And now let's look at the Electoral College. > > We know what its problems are. Simply stated, by mathematician and fellow > Obie (Oberlin College, producer of odd ducks) Neil Freeman, some states have > lots of electoral power. Some states hardly any. > > The largest state is 66 times as populous as the smallest and has 18 times as > many electoral votes. This allows for Electoral College results that don't > match the popular vote. > > > Neil's solution? Instead of eliminating the Electoral College he wants to > reform it, with a simple formula: Recut the American pie. Redivide America > into 50 new units of equal population. Each new state will have roughly > 6,175,000 inhabitants — which is our 2010 population divided by 50. Because > he is also an artist, an urban planner and a nut, he has renamed his new > units after plants, songs, cities and geological features in ways guaranteed > to irritate pretty much everybody. Here's his modest proposal ... > > > On his blog Fake Is The New Real, he lists the "advantages" of his proposal: > > Advantages > > Preserves the historic structure and function of the Electoral College. > Ends the over-representation of small states and under-representation of > large states in presidential voting and in the US Senate by eliminating small > and large states. > Political boundaries more closely follow economic patterns, since many states > are more centered on one or two metro areas. > Ends varying representation in the House. Currently, the population of House > districts ranges from 528,000 to 924,000. After this reform, every House seat > would represent districts of the same size. (Since the current size of the > House isn't divisible by 50, the numbers of seats should be increased to 450 > or 500.) > States could be redistricted after each census — just like House seats are > distributed now. > ... and then, because he has to, he very briefly lists the disadvantages, to > which I have added one of my own ... > > Disadvantages > > Some county names are duplicated in new states. > Some local governments would experience a shift in state laws and procedures. > [Editor's Addition] This will never happen. > In fairness to Neil, he explicitly says: "Keep in mind that this is an art > project, not a serious proposal, so take it easy with the emails about the > sacred soil of Texas." So don't rant to him. Save your rants for me. I am > built like an Internet armadillo; I am rant-friendly. Neil, by the way, has > been published in the Believer, Black Book and the Next American City, and > his work has appeared in exhibitions in Chicago, London, New York and > Cambridge, Mass. (Or "Casco," as he would call it.) > > > -- > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
