For discussion, two weird ideas.

[Jed Dilligan]

1. Instead of abolishing the Electoral College, how about we actually have one? Replace celebrity, media-driven presidential campaigns with face-to-face ones, first in each census block group (say), then in the capital.

2. While we're at it, how about moving the capital to the geographic center of the country? That was originally the point of Washington. The High Plains could certainly use an infusion of modernity and centrality.

I'm sure there are great reasons not to do either of these things, but right now I'm not seeing them. Please discuss.

on edit: Here's where the capital would be.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/geo/showMap.php?attractionNo=7032

[niallmac]

1. as for moving the capital to the Mid West...

I elaborate by suggesting their office buildings be built out of abandoned grain silos to
remind our reps on whose backs the economy of this great nation was built.

[Jed Dilligan]

I'm always in favor of recycling what's on-site

So, sure!

[Jed Dilligan]

2. self delete

dupe

[yurbud]

6. that should be required for ALL elected officials & school administrators...

they can't put up a new building if there are existing ones that could do the job adequately, and in the case of K-12 districts, the administration offices should be in the shittiest building in the district, then once they fix it up for themselves (as they inevitably will do), they should be moved to the NEW shittiest building, and their prior office returned to use as a school.

[yurbud]

3. what's geographic center of all 50? Even politicians don't deserve to be subject to the flat states

[Jed Dilligan]

Up in the Dakotas I think

Let me check...

[yurbud]

7. they need it. Didn't they start the homestead act up there again to try to lure people in?

[Jed Dilligan]

11. I don't know about restarting the Act.

The 1902 Reclamation Act was an attempt to revive the Homestead Act, but since the acreage limitation was "unenforceable" it gave us agribiz as we know it today.

[Jed Dilligan]

4. self delete

dupe

[RB TexLa]

5. The high plains, geographic center?

Hardly fits the east-west center from the east coast to the west coast of Hawaii. It would be somewhere in California.

[Jed Dilligan]

8. Surprisingly, not according to CLUI,

a reputable outfit.

http://ask.yahoo.com/20010122.html

[RB TexLa]

9. Well I was just folding over part of a shower curtian map

which is flat so of course that create problems.

[GymGeekAus]

10. Uh.

At that same link...

The article is quick to point out, however, that none of the designated "centers" are truly precise or objectively determined:

"Many variables exist when calculating the center of a land mass as large as the United States, and selective criteria and methods can be used, from the selection of different map projections, to defining the periphery of the shape with varying degrees of accuracy."

In fact, scientists at the Geodetic Survey have stopped calculating "centers" due to the imprecise nature of the task. Oscar S. Adams, Senior Mathematician for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, even wrote, "Since there is no definite way to locate such a point, it would be best to ignore it entirely...."