What the country needs is a fourth branch of Govt.

I think it would be a good Idea to have another branch of govt. One that oversees the other three. This branch should be made up of people who are educationally qualified. (must speak English, read and write, posses a H.S. or G.E.D. and be a US citizen) It should be equally as powerful as the others. The candidates will be chosen to serve a term of four years (flexible) and be picked the same way we pick Jury duty. The over sight positions should be filled on a staggered calender so that the seasoned veterans can teach the incoming rookies. The panel should be made of fifty people one for each state.

Not all of this is perfect and would need to be revised but just a thought, would it work?

reply to post by xyankee


The problem is that there is too much government already.

Adding to it will only add to the corruption and the BS that is prevalent in DC now. Power corrupts.....give it to more people and there is more corruption.

While I agree in concept the real fourth branch should be the people. The way the system is designed the 4th check and balance is the states. Although the states seem more like lapdogs to the federal government wishes.

reply to post by xyankee


I was also thinking that maybe we should just choose the congress this way? I know we don't need more govt. but somehow we need to keep a close eye on them!

Originally posted by xyankee
reply to post by xyankee

 

I was also thinking that maybe we should just choose the congress this way? I know we don't need more govt. but somehow we need to keep a close eye on them!

It would be cool if there were a jury pool of people that sat on a commission as watchdogs of the government. Having authority to investigate anything they deemed necessary.

reply to post by skeptic1


Funny I just added that thought before I saw your post. You are right. How about a non govt. position?

reply to post by ExPostFacto


well that is why it is a panel chosen by lottery so that there is no intervention that opens the door for the corruption. Basically it is like winning the lotto but without the money or excitement.

The only problem I see is that by the time they investigate something, the damage would have already been done.

anyway A+ for your idea. At least you offered a solution.

Originally posted by ExPostFacto

Originally posted by xyankee
reply to post by xyankee

 

I was also thinking that maybe we should just choose the congress this way? I know we don't need more govt. but somehow we need to keep a close eye on them!

It would be cool if there were a jury pool of people that sat on a commission as watchdogs of the government. Having authority to investigate anything they deemed necessary.

Yes you got it! that is exactly what I was trying to come up with!

I agree we need some kind of street level, regular joe and joan american citizen oversight of what the professional politicians are doing. I still can't believe that no one in charge can see the benefit of sending the citizens a percent of the bailout money. We could fix things up pretty fast with just a few hundred thousand a piece, as long as you people stay out of Walmart with it. Another military spending increase for the chinese military says it all. We have helped out the third world, now its time to strengthen the U.S. again before we go on helping someone who building their military.

There is something like this already.

ni4d.us...

In a series of books, I can't remember their titles, Roger Zelazny the science fiction writer did just that, bu tit was called the "Bureau of Sabotage"

He posited a future where the political a bureaucratic processes had become so efficient that a legislator could propose a law at breakfast, have it enacted by lunch and people being arrested for violating it by supper time. As the wave of stupid laws started to destroy society, many wiser statesmen realized that the slow ponderous pace of government actual served a purpose -- it allowed enough time for more reasonable and rational people to stop stupid and dangerous laws from coming int existence, or at least in the form they were originally proposed. The very glacial pace of government was in fact a built in set of checks and balances.

To counteract this, wiser members of the government established the bureau of sabotage whose job was to commit acts that would derail the government law making process and bring government to a screeching halt if necessary when it got in danger of being to efficient for the common good.



[edit on 19-3-2009 by metamagic]

We already have a Fourth Branch of government... It's called the News Media. Unfortunately, the other three branches of government already control the news media, using it to disseminate propaganda, behavior modification and social engineering into our homes, our jobs and all public venues.

Same thing always happens whenever we appoint a watchdog — the watchdog becomes as corrupt and sleazy as the government itself.

Tell me, who's going to be the watchdog over the watchdogs?

— Doc Velocity

This 4th branch overseeing the other 3 would be the most corrupt of all. Corruption seems to be like cream...always rising to the top.

Originally posted by Doc Velocity
We already have a Fourth Branch of government... It's called the News Media. Unfortunately, the other three branches of government already control the news media, using it to disseminate propaganda, behavior modification and social engineering into our homes, our jobs and all public venues.

Same thing always happens whenever we appoint a watchdog — the watchdog becomes as corrupt and sleazy as the government itself.

Tell me, who's going to be the watchdog over the watchdogs?

— Doc Velocity

Yes, but that is why it should be a lottery process, that way no one knows who is going to be put up on the board and they are not there long enough to become corrupt.