Why do we have representation?
It’s a citizen’s way to be informed and heard and it gives us the power to govern ourselves. Since 1911 our representation has been capped at 435 and since then our population has tripled from around 100 million to over 330 million today.
Think of our representation as a communication mechanism from citizens to power, it funnels information to and from the people through small groups.
Imagine a room just big enough for 100 people with a stage in the back and seating scattered around in groups. Inside we find 100 people orderly, having a conversation with their representative. There are two main groups, big and small.
The small group is those who want to speak.
When our republic is properly represented it allows those citizens who have concerns the opportunity to meet with their representative until the issues are addressed.
The large group is those who want to listen.
With the right number of people in the room it’s easy to hear the representative allowing everyone to be properly informed.
When both the large and the small group are properly represented, they can both be properly served.
This is what our representation looked like in 1911.
Now imagine that same room but instead of 100 people there are 300 people, with an additional 30 on stage and back-stage. The crowd represents our factionalized society in groups of red and blue with a small number of independent purple jammed in. Red and blue are fighting with each other and themselves. The representative is now the leader of a rock group, the consultants are the band and the PACs and Party leaders are the managers on the side of the stage and entertaining corporate America back stage. The only group that has service is the small group back stage, the rest are left to order on an app and wait in line.
Our representation has transformed from a communication device designed to serve the people into an entertainment device designed to serve the wealthy. Now the only people who can be heard are those with a microphone and backstage passes.
Our representation ratio has gone from 1:220k to 1:756k. The room is so over packed, uncomfortable, and dangerous, that most people have gone home.
If we want things to change, if we want both the large and small groups to be served, if we want power, if we want to hold our representation accountable, we must ask the right questions. We must communicate.
Ask your representative why they won’t let you have any power. Ask them Why435?