Should we increase the size of congress?

[Verily]

The New York state Senate has one member for approximately 300,000 people--something close to what a 1,000 member House would have--and its members are, if anything, less connected with their districts and more beholden to party leaders and donors than federal reps. There are plenty of reasons for that, but simply representing a smaller number of people doesn't necessarily lead to good government, because it also means you can keep a lower profile and get away with more, and have a district with more solid partisan voters.

This is a product of being at the state level (where no one pays attention) rather than the number of representatives. It's just as true of California, which has fewer representatives in its state Senate than in the US House, as it is true of New Hampshire, whose state House is the fourth-largest legislature in the world (after the British House of Commons, the Indian Lok Sabha and the US House of Representatives).

[Free Palestine]

The New York state Senate has one member for approximately 300,000 people--something close to what a 1,000 member House would have--and its members are, if anything, less connected with their districts and more beholden to party leaders and donors than federal reps. There are plenty of reasons for that, but simply representing a smaller number of people doesn't necessarily lead to good government, because it also means you can keep a lower profile and get away with more, and have a district with more solid partisan voters.

This is a product of being at the state level (where no one pays attention) rather than the number of representatives. It's just as true of California, which has fewer representatives in its state Senate than in the House, as it is true of New Hampshire, which has the fourth-largest legislature in the world (after India, the UK and the US).

The California state Senate has fewer members than my fucking art class.  Only forty in the Senate, eighty in the Assembly, for the largest state in the U.S.  Ridiculous.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

I never understood why legislators had to be in the house....I mean wouldn't it just be more efficient to have display screens, or holograms instead?

We could always have Congress meet on an Internet forum.  It would probably make a dramatic increase to the size of the House a bit more viable.

That just made me think, "We could be Congress," and then I feared for the future of this country.

[Free Palestine]

It should also be noted that in proportion to the size of the state of New York, a district of 300,000 is quite large.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

The California state Senate has fewer members than my fucking art class.  Only forty in the Senate, eighty in the Assembly, for the largest state in the U.S.  Ridiculous.

And PA has one of the largest legislatures and is one of the worst.........

[Ban my account ffs!]

The size of the house should grow with each census to represent a consistent number of Americans.  Sure, it might make things a bit harder to do, but it gives people better representation.

We're a nation of diverse opinions.  Things can't just be meted out quickly all the time.  And we shouldn't starve people of representation to achieve that goal.

[Torie]

The size of the house should grow with each census to represent a consistent number of Americans.  Sure, it might make things a bit harder to do, but it gives people better representation.

We're a nation of diverse opinions.  Things can't just be meted out quickly all the time.  And we shouldn't starve people of representation to achieve that goal.

The smaller the district, the lower the profile of the rep. That is in part why "nobody" knows who their state reps are.

[Bo]

House: Yes--should be expanded to have 1000 members.

Senate--No.

[Vepres]

Why would I want to make something I hate bigger?

[Barnes]

If you increased the size of Congress, you would have to redesign the House Chamber. Right now, only 435 Reps. can fit.

Also, add Georgia on the list of big Legislatures:
House: 180
Senate: 56

[Lunar]

Could we just disband the Senate?

[Torie]

Could we just disband the Senate?

Why don't we just go to a parliamentary system and be done with it?

[Marokai Backbeat]

Could we just disband the Senate?

Why don't we just go to a parliamentary system and be done with it?

Why not?

[Barnes]

Could we just disband the Senate?

Why don't we just go to a parliamentary system and be done with it?

Why not?

That would be the most preferable form of government to me anyway.

[Torie]

Could we just disband the Senate?

Why don't we just go to a parliamentary system and be done with it?

Why not?

Ask someone else. I favor a parliamentary system. Ya I know, that sounds traitorous. I don't mind. Believe it or not, I don't mind living at the edge.

[J. J.]

I'll leave the Senate as is, but we really should have our representatives closer to us.  I'd go with a smaller district.