Hacker News Reader

I think we should fill most elected positions basically at random, and eliminate the presidency.

Populations make great quantitative judgements, but not qualitative. It seems that selecting at random would be best to get voices of folks experiencing homelessness and poverty. Rich folks would still get a couple of seats.

My guess is less war, more money for anti-poverty and education programs.

View on HN

Sortition!

I really do think it is the only way. Everything else gets distorted.

People say, well, most people are stupid. But I'm not so sure. Juries are a sort of pseudo-sortition, and they actually fare pretty well (far better, I would argue, than legislative or even judicial bodies).

I think many positions would be admirably served by random appointment.

The problem is that most people are idiots

I fail to see how elections rectify that problem.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com