SciFi Question of the Day: Would it be possible to design a government for your planet’s new colony whose politicians all have “regular” jobs that are NOT career politicians, or would career politicians always develop no matter what the design and intent was?

Facebook Answers:

  Shane Fahrnow   Maybe make it so that political positions are nominated and work performed within is on a volunteer basis? Everyone brings you food and gives you a place to sleep while you serve, not much else, and you be the best Socrates you can be for the length of your term?

  Shane Fahrnow   P.S. Vote Shane for Emperor in 2012!

  Josie Fi   Shane, you just won my vote 

  AmyBeth Fredricksen   Shane you can’t be voted in as emperor, but I’ll appoint you after they vote me in as Great Googly-Moogly.

  Dave Mac   Somebody said vote Shane so I did…. whom ever he is

  Shane Fahrnow Looks like a groundswell from here. Are you sure I can’t be elected Emperor?

  AmyBeth Fredricksen   First Dave would have to form a committee to study the possibility of holding a special election. Unfortunately, holding that special election threatens a certain endangered species of owl, so it will never happen.

  Dave Mac   I’ll be the bring back the owl Czar

  Shane Fahrnow   Committee!? Bah! No progress has ever been made in meetings!

  Dave Mac   A couple good phaser blasts will get these people to do the right thing

  AmyBeth Fredricksen   Come and see the violence inherent in the system. Help! Help! I’m being repressed!

  Mary-Anne McDermott   Would sort of be like a board of directors for a condo or being a school trustee. Someone manages the day-to-day business, and then the people who have been elected, meet once a month or however often, to deal with the larger issues and go over what is going on with the day to day.

  Dave Mac   zap! all better now

  Shane Fahrnow   I like the cut of your jib, Dave. Would you consider a position as my minister of domestic affairs?

  Dave Mac   Affairs? OK

  Dave Mac   Good corruption is the best kind afterall

  Daniel Beard   I believe that the chief executive should have their entire wealth liquidated and added to the treasury at the beginning of their term. With a tax rate that is set and cannot change. and any profit that is made over their term is returned to them, while any loss is theirs and theirs alone. although the guard force is provided free of charge, and will make sure that the chief executive will not flee.

Google Plus Answers:

  Jennifer R. Povey  The obvious, easy method is not to pay the politicians. But would that be enough?

  Thomas Sanjurjo  Monty Python and the Holy Grail

  Ashley Wade  There’d always be career politicians. Whether we like it or not it’s a time consuming job (whether it’s being done properly or not).

  Vivian Spartacus  Mmmm, I think if you had major election reform, instantaneous and free communication, a high level of education across the board, and strong protections for transparency of government, you could probably do it.

  Valkyrie Page  The population would have to be small enough to have close relationships with the politicians, keeping the politicians in check. Also, a new colony takes a lot of work, so no hands could be spared for full-time politics.

  AmyBeth Inverness  “Come and see the violence inherent in the system. Help! Help! I’m being repressed!”

Our forefathers planned to have the wealthy landowners take time away from their farms to take care of the business of the country.

  Eric W. Johnson  There will always be career politicians as long as there is a population of people for them to leech on.

I would love to hear what you think! Even if you are reading this post a year or more after publishing, I hope you will leave a comment with your own ideas on this topic.

The previous SciFi Q of the Day is ISS or TV