A Non-messianic Presidency | Capital Commentary

A Non-messianic Presidency | Capital Commentary by David Koyzis.  MGB:  There was a great deal of debate over the 10th Amendment about inserting the word "expressly" before the word enumerated.  The strict constructionists lost that one and the government has been growing in scope ever since.  Once the income tax and a directly elected Senate were added, a much more responsive government was assured.   Habits of presidential supremacy also became ingrained when the legislature decided it was more libertarian to spend most of its time outside Washington, letting the executive fill the gap.   Giving the Electoral College no independent power base also doomed it to being overcome by the eventual populist desires that would turn it into essentially an elected office.  If indirect election of the president is desired, the best way would be to form regions of equal electoral vote strength and have each elect two legislators and one regional vice president, whom as a body would select the President from time to time.  If regional offices each ran every six years, with one regional officer being elected every two years, then every two years a third of the electoral college would be replaced, meaning you could have a presidential election that frequently (or force a confidence vote).  Regional government could also shift most day to day government action and funding, including funding the non-deployed military, to a more local level - producing a more manageable and smaller government.  It is easy to demand low grazing fees if the national government you get for your area is paid for by rich people in Los Angeles, New York and the DC metro area.  Of course, it would take a bit of a messianic president to bring forward such changes.