Good article, I enjoyed it.   Iowa has a bipartisan board draw it's congressional districts.    There is very little fuss over the districting maps.   This should be the standard for all states.   Any attempt to draw lines that consider a factor of political affiliation should be banned.   It's not god for a democracy or republic.    This behavior by both parties, exposed over the last few years, is yet another reason why voters have left both political parties is large numbers.     

I don't know if it's the larger culture or more confined to competitive politics, but self-interest seems to trump public concerns time and again.    Human's are relative unique in our ability to understand what drives us, both good and bad, and to change those drives into the realm of making conscious decisions.

We seem to have a very real problem finding a balance between the needs of the individual and the benefits to society of cooperative behavior.   We've swung wildly in both directions.