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> The House hasn't increased total size since the reapportionment after the 1910 census, which is probably what you are thinking of. Doesn't this effectively m

by ska 7y ago

> The House hasn't increased total size since the reapportionment after the 1910 census, which is probably what you are thinking of. Doesn't this effectively make it impossible to correctly reapportion by population though, because without a change in size a number of low population states "should" have < 1 member?

NeoBasilisk 7y ago
That is correct.
adolph 7y ago
No, they are performing the task as outlined by the constitution, which is the “correct” method, and which the people are free to amend. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_Two_of_the_United_States_Constitution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_Two_of_the_United_Stat...
- ska 7y ago
  Ok, but that's heading into a circle though. The complaint I thought is that the "correct" method does not result in proportion by population, and some people think that would be better.
  - adolph 7y ago
    Many people often think that something different than an existing system would be better or more advantageous for themselves and advocate for it. Claiming rightness or correctness is an appeal to a moral sense of fair play for which their counter-parties are not likely imagine reciprocated once the change comes to fruition. I’m surprised that given technology advances people don’t just cut out the expensive elected officials and put everything up to several national votes per day. If you think that the founders got the proportional balance wrong, what about the temporal balance? Why invest decision making power in one person over such long time frames?
dragonwriter 7y ago
> Doesn't this effectively make it impossible to correctly reapportion by population though, because without a change in size a number of low population states "should" have < 1 member? You can define “correctly reapportion” in a way that this is true, but there is no reason to think that was the Constitutional intent. Which isn't to say I don't think there is a policy problem, I just don't think you can reduce it to incorrect apportionment.

by ska 7y ago

NeoBasilisk 7y ago

That is correct.

adolph 7y ago

No, they are performing the task as outlined by the constitution, which is the “correct” method, and which the people are free to amend. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_Two_of_the_United_States_Constitution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_Two_of_the_United_Stat...

ska 7y ago
Ok, but that's heading into a circle though. The complaint I thought is that the "correct" method does not result in proportion by population, and some people think that would be better.
- adolph 7y ago
  Many people often think that something different than an existing system would be better or more advantageous for themselves and advocate for it. Claiming rightness or correctness is an appeal to a moral sense of fair play for which their counter-parties are not likely imagine reciprocated once the change comes to fruition. I’m surprised that given technology advances people don’t just cut out the expensive elected officials and put everything up to several national votes per day. If you think that the founders got the proportional balance wrong, what about the temporal balance? Why invest decision making power in one person over such long time frames?

dragonwriter 7y ago

> Doesn't this effectively make it impossible to correctly reapportion by population though, because without a change in size a number of low population states "should" have < 1 member? You can define “correctly reapportion” in a way that this is true, but there is no reason to think that was the Constitutional intent. Which isn't to say I don't think there is a policy problem, I just don't think you can reduce it to incorrect apportionment.