Political Change and Reality
Now is the time to begin the process for political change. It was Thomas Jefferson who said “I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political as storms in the physical. …It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government”.
The Senate was modeled on the upper House of the English Parliament and the legislative body was designed with a limited number of Senators and they were to be the more deliberative body of the two chambers. Even though the House of Representatives does have a “proportional” representation system that is designed to provide the counter balance to the larger states, it does not alleviate the need for Senate reform and realignment. It was perceived during the Constitutional Convention that there was mistrust that the smaller states would be victimized by the larger more populated States. The founding fathers went to great lengths to make sure that the young republic had checks and balances within the system that would prohibit the tyranny of a dictator. They also made sure that the “tyranny of the majority” would not be possible. Did they go too far to curb the centralized federal power versus the power of the States in prescribing equal suffrage in the Senate? Do we now have in the Senate, a governing body that is capable of wielding a “tyranny of the minority” against the majority of the urban population? Do the 14 most rural states have the power to deny the rights and ambitions of the urban majority?
The Constitutional Amendment would benefit both the conservative and liberal agendas. It would be politically neutral since its strategic goal benefits both Republicans and Democrats. If you examine the 2016 election results and analyze the voting patterns, you would find that for the vast majority of MSA’s are a consolidation of a liberal urban core surrounded by conservative suburban and exurban rings. So there is no issue as to whether the MSA representation has a liberal or conservative bias. Therefore, the goal of more urban inclusion is politically neutral. The truth is that in the real world there are no red or blue MSA’s. All MSA’s are purple. They are neutral entities in the political arena.
The MSA is a distinct and unique political entity that by its very nature makes its parts whole, as opposed to the proliferation of the biased gerrymandered congressional districts that disrupt the political landscape in far too many states. The MSA is the true political embodiment of a consolidated approach to recognizing the urban and suburban bifurcation of our urban society. This consolidated entity needs to be recognized as a political entity worthy of representation in the Senate.
Levels of Governess
Federal Government
100 U.S. Senators ( 2/States)
435* + 1 + 5 House of Representatives ( Per Congressional Districts /States)
* The REAL House Act, Equal Voice Act would each increase the
number of House Representatives members from 435 to either 573 or 585.
MSA Legislative Entities
33 U.S. Senators
State Government
Senate Representative Districts
House Representative Districts
County Governments
City Governments
Town Governments
Passage of this Constitutional Amendment will bring about the goal of disrupting the current Senate’s political balance of power. It is time to stop the gross ossified inequality of the present senatorial balance of power and passage of a Constitutional Amendment is the only way this change can be accomplished. And passage will only happen when the general populist; Republicans, Democrats and Independents; conservatives and liberals come to the realization that all urban areas, whether they are large or small, in every corner of our country, will benefit from having an “urban coalition voice” within the U.S. Senate. This may be one of the most opportunistic times in our nation’s history when we can make such a monumental change that will make a major difference to the political character of our country today and more importantly to the future resiliency of our democracy.