adjust the house of representatives to 1911 proportionality

[IowaStatePhiPsi]

The most recent expansion to the House of Representatives was in 1911, when the U.S. population was about 93 million, so a representative had 212,000 constituents. With the current population of 293 million, a representative has 674,000 constituents. To bring this number back to its 1911 value, the House should be expanded to 1370 members.

[AlphaSigOU]

Originally posted by IowaStatePhiPsi
The most recent expansion to the House of Representatives was in 1911, when the U.S. population was about 93 million, so a representative had 212,000 constituents. With the current population of 293 million, a representative has 674,000 constituents. To bring this number back to its 1911 value, the House should be expanded to 1370 members.

They'd hafta substantially rebuild the House chamber to pack all that many in there.

[IowaStatePhiPsi]

Originally posted by AlphaSigOU
They'd hafta substantially rebuild the House chamber to pack all that many in there.

I was thinking build a new chamber comparable to the Senate in Star Wars: Episode I. All nice and fancy, not Louis XIV

[Kevin]

They could use the Redskins stadium.

[docetboy]

Originally posted by IowaStatePhiPsi
The most recent expansion to the House of Representatives was in 1911, when the U.S. population was about 93 million, so a representative had 212,000 constituents. With the current population of 293 million, a representative has 674,000 constituents. To bring this number back to its 1911 value, the House should be expanded to 1370 members.

Why not bring it back to the Constitutional minimum of 30,000 constituents per representative while we're at it???

[IowaStatePhiPsi]

Originally posted by docetboy
Why not bring it back to the Constitutional minimum of 30,000 constituents per representative while we're at it???

not a bad idea.

[sageofages]

Originally posted by docetboy
Why not bring it back to the Constitutional minimum of 30,000 constituents per representative while we're at it???

There is a thought....we could eventually go to the "corporate structure" of representation with a middle management layer. Representatives for representatives...

I thought we were already headed in the corporation owned government as it is now.

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by IowaStatePhiPsi
The most recent expansion to the House of Representatives was in 1911, when the U.S. population was about 93 million, so a representative had 212,000 constituents. With the current population of 293 million, a representative has 674,000 constituents. To bring this number back to its 1911 value, the House should be expanded to 1370 members.

I once asked my congressman about this. He replied that political scientists who have studied this have determined that once you get around the 600-650 range, the body becomes unwieldy and ineffective.

[lifesaver]

Originally posted by PhiPsiRuss
I once asked my congressman about this. He replied that political scientists who have studied this have determined that once you get around the 600-650 range, the body becomes unwieldy and ineffective.

As opposed to how unwieldy and ineffective they are now? lol.