Reply #2: great idea!

[Daggoo]

"They should also be required to attend a series of interviews also controlled by the public."

great idea!

Also, maybe we should institute "preferential voting"--you rate each candidate in order of preference (instead of voting for just one). If your #1 candidate doesn't get enough votes to win, your vote then goes to your # 2 pick; and so on.

IOW, if you wanted to vote for Ralph Nader; or vote Libertarian; you could do so, knowing that your actual vote
would still go to count for Al Gore or George Bush (because neither Nader or the Libertarian candidates would
get enough votes to win). But you could vote your "heart"--or register a protest--and still not be throwing
your vote away. (Enough Florida voters chose Nader to have given the 2000 election to Gore, for example.)

As well, increase the size of the Senate and House. Let each state elect 6 Senators instead of 2. Right now we
have 100 (sometimes octogenarians) who sit there forever. Having a larger batch (300) gives a greater opportunity
for new ideas to be considered (ie, reduce the power of the "old boys" clubs). Ditto for the House.

At present, most congressional districts are so large that one has to run as a centrist--meaning that new ideas (greens, libertarians, socialists, etc.) haven't a chance. Smaller districts, and more offices, may mean the introduction of new blood--
instead of the perpetual politicians we have now.