Reformulating the US Senate?

[RicROC]

Maybe it's time to bring the US Senate into a body which reflects the population shifts of the country.

How about if every city in the US which has a population larger than the population of the least populated state be entitled to send one Senator of its own to the US Senate? (There was 31 cities with a population larger than the state of Wyoming).

Fat chance that will happen, but it's an idea.

[eleny]

1. Your idea appeals to me

[W_HAMILTON]

2. Most changes would requirement a constitutional amendment...

...which means the smaller states that disproportionately benefit would never agree to it.

HOWEVER, we could ADD states: Puerto Rico and most of D.C. (certain locations will have to be "carved out" and remain in the federal jurisdiction due to constitutional requirements) from what I have read, this could be done by a simple majority vote in Congress and signed by the president, so, it will probably have to wait at least until 2020.

[vlyons]

3. What if we did away with the Senate altogether?

Why do we need a bicameral congress? Just have a real democratic republic with one legislative body.

[zipplewrath]

4. Divide up the "large" states

None of these ideas have a snowballs chance. But It would make some sense to divide some of the larger states up a bit. This is especially true for California. There have been proposals over the years to redivide ALL of the states to balance them in various ways.
(This is just one of many) But we have a very serious problem in disproportionate distribution and the GOP has made a conscious decision to leverage it to govern this country as a minority.

[Bettie]

5. And put some of the very low population states together

N/S Dakota could just become Dakota.

Wyoming/Montana/Idaho could become one state as well.

Put Nebraska and Kansas together.

I doubt they'd go for that, but it would make sense.