Change Management & Our Founding Fathers

I'm beginning to believe that our founding fathers did not understand Change Management. I was recently pining on the depravation of our government when I decided to try and think of a better system. I wanted a system that would be impervious to greed and corruption. A system that would represent the best and brightest, not just the best looking or the one with the deepest pocketbooks and most connections. As I listed out the criteria, I realized that it matched up exactly with our Constitution. The Founding Fathers had it right from the beginning. However, we have perverted their intentions. I'll try to give a few examples.

First, let's examine our electoral college. The electoral college was not just meant to protect small states from being picked on by larger states. Instead, it was the realization of the insight that people don't have time to be educated on everything. Instead, the electoral college members were elected, by the people, to study the candidates, their positions, their character, and make the best decision. The electoral college was not supposed to be a rubber stamp of the popular election - instead it was supposed to be the first step in a much larger process.

Second, let's examine how senators are elected. In the original Constitution, senators are supposed to be elected by the states, to represent the states. Typically, the congress of the states would choose their representative. Note that the senator is NOT a representative of the people, but the State (capital S), the institituion. Unfortunately, that distinction got lost somewhere around the 17th Amendment. BTW, here's an interesting site dedicated to repealing the 17th Amendment. GO FOR IT!

I think one of the major issues with our founding fathers is that they didn't understand change management. They assumed that those who followed them would be rational people and would make rational decisions. Their assumption was wrong. I think we need to force a limit on the number of laws that can be passed; and every law must be brought in front of the congress in an individual vote once every 5 years. That should slow change down. Furthermore, all constitutional amendments must come up for a state approval vote every 10 years. We have got to stop being reactionary.

Of course it is too late for all of this, we have to make due with what we have and work on making small changes. So lets start with this meme: Repeal the 17th!