Fix Congress

So, I've been thinking for a long time that the electoral process is a mess. And, of course, I have an idea of how to fix it.

Lottery

All senators and representatives would be chosen by lottery. Nobody would "run" for office; all citizens would be eligible. Random selection. Two-term limit (after all, Congress voted to make the office of president two-term only [boy, did they hate FDR] so it's only fair they should be limited, too.

We'd have a democracy where all citizens serve (or could serve). We'd eliminate the constant electioneering. We'd eliminate the PACs and corporate money buying politicians. The states would still have two senators each. Representatives would be chosen by district, just as they are now, but it would be by lottery. And they'd get paid whatever they're making now, so the citizen doesn't lose out.

Of course, we'd need stringent oversight of the lottery process, but it certainly couldn't be any worse than what we have now. We'd need to set up a system for identifying all citizens so their names would be in the "hat." Registered voters isn't enough, nor is licensed drivers or property owners or even the census. We need a list of all adult citizens. It'd be national service and a way to keep everybody engaged in the process.

There.

Oh yeah. I think all high school graduates should have to spend the next two years in national service of some kind, like military service or the CCC or infrastructure restoration or whatever. Something to make them think beyond themselves.