H. L. Mencken Quotes
A mood of constructive criticism being upon me, I propose forthwith that the method of choosing legislators now prevailing in the United States be abandoned and that the method used in choosing juries be substituted. That is to say, I propose that the men who make our laws be chosen by chance and against will of all the rest of us, as now.
Mencken, H. L. Notes on Democracy. Alfred A. Knopf, 1926.
With a legislature of two houses, both have to agree to any change in order for it to take effect. This is always harder to do than to have change voted by a single legislative body.
In 2010 a number of members of Congress were elected with the support of the Tea Party. Most of these stated publicly that they insisted that the budget should be cut and the deficit be reduced and unless these were done in sufficient satisfaction for them, they would not vote for anything even if it meant closing the government down or defaulting on the national debt. The result was a gridlocked Congress that only 12 percent of Americans thought was competent—the lowest support level since measurements of public support for Congress were made.
At the time, the New York State legislature was particularly corrupt. Those who tried to reform it from the inside were given a very hard time by those who benefitted from the status quo.
There was huge pressure on the central government to decentralize as they held all the power in Indonesian society. However, if they devolved power to the Provinces (States), many of them could be large enough and independent enough to secede and become an independent country as East Timor had done. So the Indonesian power structure bypassed the Provincial governments and devolved power directly to the local governments, none of which was independent enough to go it alone. The desired objective was met—no more secessions. However, there was no one to worry about regional and national issues and problems as the politicians who had power were all local. The country was becoming non-functional in many ways.
The Governor was delivering the State of the State message to the legislature. He presented is school aid proposal and it was received with applause.
The Prime Minister and his Tory Party was calling for Senate Reform
Henry Louis Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, and contemporary movements. His satirical reporting on the Scopes Trial, which he dubbed the "Monkey Trial," also gained him attention.
