FairVote: The Founding Fathers Wanted an Evolving Democracy

In many regards, modern American democracy is dysfunctional -- especially at the national level. Congress is mired in gridlock; passing few laws that align with what the American people want. That gridlock arises from a more fundamental issue: Congress is not an accurate representation of our population.

5 Reasons Why Washington Doesn’t Work Anymore

The presidential election is already in full swing, and you’re hearing candidates predictably talk about how they’ll change Washington for the better. No, for real this time. No, for real, for real. Listen to a few of these men and women, and you’ll hear that our nation’s capital is dysfunctional because their party isn’t in power.

What Policymakers Should Learn from the Failures of the Federal Reserve

In a previous article, I argued that our elected representatives have a responsibility to actively foster a healthy economy -- that the nature of modern fiat money means “hat is important about the budget is whether it is inflationary or deflationary, not whether balanced or unbalanced.” The Federal Reserve’s response to the financial crisis and subsequent limits of their ability to influenc

Even Independent Ethics Commissions are Affected By Partisan Politics

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. -- There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the nominees to San Diego’s Ethics Commission. The controversy started with the nomination of lawyer Bob Ottilie, in part, because he had previously defended City Councilmember Marti Emerald before the commission itself.

The controversy continues as additional nominations roll in, including Republican Party general counsel William “Bill” Baber and Democratic campaign treasurer Xavier Martinez—for obvious reasons.

Luck Egalitarianism: Reconciling Libertarianism and Socialism to Ensure True Equality

Moral Luck, Constitutive Luck

Luck plays a tremendous role in our lives. Consider two people who are texting while driving in a residential neighborhood: one such driver, through sheer coincidence, ends up striking a pedestrian, while the other driver passes through without incident. Though their behavior is identical, our reactions – and the view of the justice system – toward their behavior varies greatly and hinges considerably on the element of mere chance. In a sense, one driver was simply luckier than the other.