Eliminate Townships

[Katzenjammer12]

We have way too many layers of government and the township is so useless it should be eliminated.  Everything is getting so centralized that we can do without it.  We should also consolidate counties.  Since state representatives and senators are now based on population rather than geography, wwe could also consolidate some counties into districts.  Put a nice urban area in the middle of each one.  Many midwestern states could get by with buying a bunch of computers, putting all info on databases and probably use half a dozen or so districts and get rid of all the county governments.  Why not get your license plate from the capitol overnight and fire the vehicle registration clerk?

For that matter, the states are not all that necessary.  We could go to big districts and you could eliminate about 3/4 of the states.  There is no reason why people in St. Louis couldn't decide the political decision that affect Kirksville and Cairo, both.

If we do that, we can also get rid of the huge problem of U.S. Senators.  By what right does Montana have the same number of senators as California?  There is no need to cut out a senator from Montana, just let the people in California vote for him/her, too.

Think of the money that can be reallocated if we get rid of so many layers of government.  The Republicans would like it because it is "small government".  The Democrats would like it because it is more "one person, one vote".  The other political persuasions don't really matter.

What's not to like?

Let's start by getting rid of the township.

[rsbs]

Odd that you would post that just now...last night my youngest son was studying the map of the US prior to a lot of the states becoming states, and the Nebraska territory encompassed all of SD, ND, Montana, and Nebraska and by rights should have become one state, two senators. Iowa could become larger and take the parts of MN south of the Minnesota River, and the rest of MN could join Wisconsin, etc. Anything to get shed of the MSP liberal cesspool.

[farmerbob44]

Oh, probably been almost 20 years since a Lilly Foundation study on improving government efficiency recommended that the State of Indiana do just that.

It landed on the desk of our Governor (Mr. Corporate Efficiency and a Lilly creation), was talked about for a couple weeks and then went to that place where good ideas go to die.

The officeholders in all those rural townships and county courthouses are the foot soldiers of the GOP and weren't interested in giving up their little piece of power. And it was argued, probably with some merit, that it would diminish the power that the more rural parts of the states enjoy via that level of organization.

I'd say the same might be true of consolidating rural states and the impact on the Senate- be careful what you ask for.remember- the consolidated House and Senate votes were Blue landslides so it would take some real gerrymander magic to improve on the superb gerrymander the founders and fate already gave you.

[Katzenjammer12]

And some people wonder why the Electoral College will never go away.

[elcheapo]

I disagree. I am one of those dreaded local
Government people on local township and
Boards. First...I am in the area, unlike a
County commissioner.....who doesn't know
The roads or needs.
I know the books, so I try to be as cost efficient
(Cheap) so we can do as much as we can with
The little we have to work with.
I also have to live and face the people
Of the township each day, unlike someone
Miles away.
I also save you money...I get so much per year
Ok...it's $25 a year....the commissioner's make
3 times that per day !!!

[Katzenjammer12]

elcheapo - my tongue was in my cheek.