3 Reasons We Need to Reexamine How We Elect Presidents

[XemaSab]

When I was a freshman in college, my American Government professor addressed everyone on the first day of class and said "no one in this room will ever be President." He looked me right in the eye when he said it, so I immediately went to the library and started reading everything I could about presidents. My plan was to prove him wrong, become president and rub it right in his stupid face, because I had problems with authority figures telling me what I could and couldn't do and it just so happens that my particular strain of youthful rebellion manifested in furious trips to the library.

I never stopped reading (or writing) about presidents, though I learned pretty early on that he was right; I would never be president. Not because I couldn't handle the work, (I probably can), but because I wasn't fucking crazy. The most important lesson I learned in my book-filled and ill-advised quest to stick it to the man was that the presidency is a job reserved for a special kind of crazy person, and it's our fault. Our current system is broken and dangerous and it's driving away people who otherwise would make terrific presidents, (people like me, probably). With election season upon us, I'd like to take this time to let us all know that we're doing things completely wrong.

#3. It's a Killing Job

Of the first 35 presidents, 25 of them died prematurely.

I don't meant they died tragically young, like "Oh, it wasn't Pierce's time, he had so much more life in him." I'm saying that there's an average life expectancy for everyone at every time in human history, and that most presidents-- by a crushing majority-- died prematurely. Presidents, on average, come from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, and, every single one of them has access to the best doctors, facilities and medical treatments money can be, even after they leave the White House. Presidents, as wealthy men with the best doctors and medicine available, should theoretically live well into the above average territory of their life expectancy. Yet seventy percent of them fell below average. If a car factory or meat plant or hospital in this country had a similar stat, where seventy percent of the employees weren't reaching their life expectancy, it would be shut down.


Read more: 3 Reasons We Need to Reexamine How We Elect Presidents | Cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/blog/3-reasons-we-need-to-reexamine-how-we-elect-presidents/#ixzz276w8j1Eb

[xchrom]

1. Du rec. Nt

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. Contrarian view

we need to re-examine the whole idea of the Presidency and the American system of government generally. The quasi-monarchical presidential system would be better replaced by a parliamentary form of government, with proportional representation, with a 5% vote threshold for parties to win seats--which leads to greater democracy and representation. There's a reason why of all the world's democracies, not one has looked at the US system of an elective constitutionally limited monarchy and said "yeah, that looks like a good idea, let's do that!"

[XemaSab]

4. word

n/t

[Scuba]

3. I'll give you three reasons: Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rich Perry (and Michele Bachmann)

All finalists in the Republican Party. What's that tell you?

[MariaM83]

5. I'll give you ONE reason: The Republican Party -- what's that tell you? nt

[XemaSab]

6. Exactly

n/t