THE BIRTH of a NOTION : A Plan to Revise the American Political System

I have lived in and/or visited many countries, and have experienced virtually every popular (or unpopular) style of government adopted in recent times. I was in Spain when Franco ran his Fascist dictatorship; in Greece under the military rule of The Four Colonels; in Singapore when Lee Kwan Yew ran the country with an iron fist; in the theocratic, nothing-is-illegal-if-you-bribe-enough-judges corruption of Indonesia; in the open-handed Socialism of The Netherlands and, of course, in the dreadfully flawed Democracy of the United States. Of them all, it seems the Socialist countries provide the most satisfying quality of life for the most people, while democracy trails far behind, despite the high-minded aspirations of its proponents. Government by the people and for the people is a great idea, but it doesn't work in a country as large and diverse as the United States, especially since there is no such thing as real equality anymore, if, indeed, there ever was. Spouting the "classless society" line is nothing more than an exercise in denial; Americans are as divided into classes as are the people of India, whether we want to admit it or not.

The only difference is that we're partitioned along financial lines, rather than familial ones. And, as the schism between the wealthy and the middle and low income groups becomes greater, those into whose hands we put the reins of government are more and more representative of the moneyed class and less and less in touch with the needs and desires of those they are elected to serve.

Inasmuch as this state of affairs becomes more obvious with every election, as virtually every public office is won by a wealthy, but mentally mediocre, candidate, I think it's time to scrap the entire electoral system and replace it with the following procedure:

Rather than limiting our choices to those with enough money and influence to buy their way into office, we should select our public officials the same way we hire other public servants: by qualifying exam. We certainly know enough about the requirements of political offices to devise a test for each one, from town councilman to president of the country.

These exams would be promotional, so that every candidate would have previous experience in government, and would be open to anyone who qualifies. Instead of joining parties, we would choose individuals; instead of time and money- wasting political conventions, we would have "test week", during which aspirants would sit for exams.

The tests themselves would be devised by experts in every pertinent field: intelligence, ethics, emotional stability, physical health, and comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of the desired office. Please do not confuse these exams with the "civil service" type of test taken, and passed, by "Patty" and "Selma" at the DMV, leading to lifetime tenure. All offices would carry term limits, and therefore could not become permanent careers. And the salaries would be commensurate with the national average of similar jobs in the private sector.

Once the exams are scored, the top three or four contenders for each office would be given the opportunity to present their positions on issues and political philosophy, through a series of televised and online debates. Air time would be donated by the broadcast networks, or, in the case of local elections, individual stations. A small advance in technology would allow the public to vote from their homes, following the debates, in a slightly more sophisticated version of "American Idol".

I truly believe the Founders would approve of this plan. I think they did believe in equal opportunity, and in the elimination of a "ruling class". Unfortunately, advances in science and technology have allowed gross distortion of their excellent intentions, as has the enormous expansion of the little nation they conceived.

For example, when they provided for an arms-bearing militia to protect its citizens, surely they never meant for everyone with an opposable thumb to own a gun. Did it ever occur to Tom and Ben that their high-minded guarantee of free speech would lead to an unending battle over pornography? When they assured us of the right to assemble, could they ever have imagined the miraculous ability we have to exchange ideas and opinions through cyberspace? What would they say if they could see how, despite their strict prohibition of collaboration between church and state, our current government is fast becoming a theocracy, run by religious fanatics bent on converting the nation to their own skewed belief system?

I'm equally certain that the Founders never meant for political office to be sold to the richest candidate, bought and paid for by special interests with an axe to grind and pockets to line. Because they were the best minds of their time, they doubtless expected the tradition of intelligent government to continue.

Instead, the system has deteriorated into a series of battles between ambitious men of wealth and privilege, leading to unqualified, venal, power-seeking individuals spending our money to enrich themselves, with little or no thought of the consequences to the very people they are elected to serve.

Personally, I'd be much less uneasy if I knew our president had an IQ that was slightly higher than his shoe size. Knowing that my taxes are buying weapons for a war staged for the sole purpose of the aggrandizement of a feeble-minded president does not assist in my pursuit of happiness.

How about you? Wouldn't you like to think that if your brilliant child gets one of the highest scores on the Test for President, she could become the leader of the free world, even without a million dollars? Wouldn't you feel safer and more content with those who make the rules and spend your money, if you knew they were proven to be intellectually, psychologically and physically qualified to do so? Wouldn't you be less cynical about our leaders if you knew they were there because they sincerely wanted to do a good job, and not just to stuff their Swiss bank accounts by doing favors for their billionaire buddies?

The bottom line is simply that this plan would ensure that our leaders are selected by qualification, not privilege. With forward-thinking, enlightened leaders, we could, for example, rest assured that life-enhancing endeavors were better funded than instruments of destruction. We'd know that scientific research was at least as important as weapons development.

Most importantly, we could sleep peacefully, knowing that all government officials, at every level, were trained, educated, intelligent people of good character, who had our best interests at heart.

After all, we put our lives into the hands of firefighters and police officers because we know they are fully trained to do their jobs. Why expect any less of those who hold political office and make the laws that affect every aspect of our daily lives?