<story><title>Why We Can&apos;t Build</title><url>https://www.vox.com/2020/4/22/21228469/marc-andreessen-build-government-coronavirus</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>narak</author><text>I suspect the most practical way to reform our institutions is through increased competition in governance, just like we &amp;quot;fix&amp;quot; stagnant institutions in the private sector. We already have this baked into our constitution: States rights and their ability to pass amendments. There&amp;#x27;s a movement happening around this. [0]&lt;p&gt;Justice Brandeis said it best: &amp;quot;state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country.&amp;quot; [1]&lt;p&gt;Imagine if States could try different healthcare systems, or basic income, etc. Citizens would be able to vote with their feet and move to the best systems. This should be a bipartisan movement.&lt;p&gt;[0] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Convention_to_propose_amendments_to_the_United_States_Constitution&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Convention_to_propose_amendmen...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;[1] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Laboratories_of_democracy&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Laboratories_of_democracy&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>apozem</author><text>This is a nice thought that does not grapple with the reality of modern-day politics.&lt;p&gt;The Republican Party is hellbent on holding onto power by any means necessary. They will oppose any structural reforms that could reduce their power. Would they allow a system such as you propose, that allows California greater independence? Of course not.&lt;p&gt;Look how they oppose vote by mail [1], &lt;i&gt;in the middle of a pandemic&lt;/i&gt;. Madness, until you realize they believe vote-by-mail will advantage Democrats. This is not a party that is interested in pro-democracy experiments, only changing the rules to keep themselves in power.&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt; There is no part of the Republican Party — not its president in the White House, not its leadership in Congress, not its conservative allies on the Supreme Court, not its interest groups or its affiliated media — that has an interest in or commitment to a fair, equal and expansive democracy...&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt; Republican lawmakers nationwide have taken every opportunity to restrict voting and entrench themselves against voters who might want an alternative. They’ve passed strict photo ID requirements, implemented mass voter purges, put new restrictions on registering voters, closed polling sites and ended extended voting periods. With few exceptions — Utah introduced vote by mail in 2013 — a state with a Republican executive and a Republican Legislature is a state that will restrict voting long before it tries to make it easier and more accessible. [2]&lt;p&gt;[1]: &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.nytimes.com&amp;#x2F;2020&amp;#x2F;04&amp;#x2F;08&amp;#x2F;us&amp;#x2F;politics&amp;#x2F;republicans-vote-by-mail.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.nytimes.com&amp;#x2F;2020&amp;#x2F;04&amp;#x2F;08&amp;#x2F;us&amp;#x2F;politics&amp;#x2F;republicans-v...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;[2]: &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.nytimes.com&amp;#x2F;2020&amp;#x2F;04&amp;#x2F;10&amp;#x2F;opinion&amp;#x2F;sunday&amp;#x2F;wisconsin-primary-2020-election.html&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.nytimes.com&amp;#x2F;2020&amp;#x2F;04&amp;#x2F;10&amp;#x2F;opinion&amp;#x2F;sunday&amp;#x2F;wisconsin-...&lt;/a&gt;</text></comment>
<story><title>Why We Can&apos;t Build</title><url>https://www.vox.com/2020/4/22/21228469/marc-andreessen-build-government-coronavirus</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>narak</author><text>I suspect the most practical way to reform our institutions is through increased competition in governance, just like we &amp;quot;fix&amp;quot; stagnant institutions in the private sector. We already have this baked into our constitution: States rights and their ability to pass amendments. There&amp;#x27;s a movement happening around this. [0]&lt;p&gt;Justice Brandeis said it best: &amp;quot;state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country.&amp;quot; [1]&lt;p&gt;Imagine if States could try different healthcare systems, or basic income, etc. Citizens would be able to vote with their feet and move to the best systems. This should be a bipartisan movement.&lt;p&gt;[0] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Convention_to_propose_amendments_to_the_United_States_Constitution&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Convention_to_propose_amendmen...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;[1] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Laboratories_of_democracy&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Laboratories_of_democracy&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>bhupy</author><text>This is exactly how Switzerland operates, and it appears to be working rather well for them.&lt;p&gt;It also helps to think of the United States as more akin to the European Union, rather than any of its individual member states. This is purely conjecture, but an EU that is as centrally powerful as the US would likely be equally disastrous.</text></comment>