REINTEGRATING THE NATION By T.S. Khanna, January 27, 2021

 

Reintegrating The Nation

By T.S. Khanna, January 27, 2021,

Foundation For Better Government,

 

It is never popular to speak against the tide of a prevailing zeitgeist.  However, at critical times, the best of rationale must be counseled, even if it is out of the “Constitutional Box”.

 

Every four years, a new presidential campaign hits the national consciousness.  Political parties and candidates mobilize their forces for a show down, blasting with unregulated rhetorical volleys, disregarding the permanent side effect on the polity.  Since the 1960 s, there has been a steady degeneration of the election system.

 

Now the two parties have inadvertently divided the Nation into two non-compromising cultures saddled with responsibility to run the government essentially requiring compromises.  The divided Nation is close to a flash point.  The public mood is defiant.

 

That is where we stand today.

 

Rep democracy has set-in and the Bill of Rights has fueled divisive centrifugal forces tearing the Nation apart.  Nothing in the Constitution is designed to counter these forces.  Now there seems to be a desperate need to install centripetal forces and set them in motion by establishing legitimacy of non-partisanship at the presidential level.

 

President, as head of the state, should essentially be a non-partisan, unifying, centripetal force, overpowering the divisive forces of rep democracy.   The best way to elect a non-partisan president seems to consist in publicly electing members of Electoral College in each state on a non-partisan basis who may then elect a non-partisan president.  As a second stage, creation of a Presidential Council or Supreme Council has been discussed elsewhere.

 

In an effort to start reintegration of the divided parties, some suggestions are offered:

1.     Require at least 60% majority for all decisions by the House of Reps and by the Senate;

2.     Make Chair-person of each Chamber non-partisan, appointed by the non-partisan President;

3.     Encourage in-person voting with citizenship ID by facilitating extended voting period to a more weather-friendly third weekend of May, instead of November;

4.     For mail-in votes, require notarized verification of citizenship and residency;

5.     Adopt requisites for elected positions to improve the quality of elected officials;

6.     Reduce the frequency of divisive elections by making a 6-year term for all elected positions with a provision for mid-term recall, if the popularity rating falls low;

7.     Eliminate professional politicians by restricting elected positions to one term;

8.     Adopt age limit for elected positions: Minimum 30 years and Maximum 70 years;

9.     Establish a National Election Commission with adequate powers to regulate uniformity in election rules, maintain decency and decor during campaigns, and disqualify the candidates who fail to meet the standards adopted by the Election Commission.