When Is A State A Dictatorship?

       The New York Times columnist David Brooks is someone I don't always agree with, but today he points out that nearly everyone in Washington is a good person who went there with good intentions. The problem in Washington is that we have bad governance because we have a lack of good leadership. Now the folks elected to be our leaders in Washington are in fact, our leaders. It's just that very, very few of them are good leaders. And that's why we have such bad governance, like gridlock, shutdowns, debt crises and constant squabbling.
       Brooks suggests new electees should find an older mentor. Someone who is skilled in governing. Who knows how to compromise and when to do it. Then stick to that person like glue. That's all fine, but it doesn't solve the problem of gridlock. it only improves the level of leadership. The real problem in Washington isn't even centered in Washington. The real problem is the lack of honest representation. In far too many states you have one party dominance in the state legislatures ad governorship and in the U.S. House of Representatives' districts and how they got to be the dragons they are.
       See, in nearly every state, the state legislature draws the boundaries of the legislative districts, both for the state and for federal districts. Now on the face of it, that sounds fair, but far too many states have managed to become "one party states" at least in the state capitals. That allows them to gerrymander the districts so that their party can never be driven out of control, even if they are outnumbered by the voters in the state. My friend Stephen explains that a state where both houses of the legislature and the governor are of the same party is no different than a dictatorship. They're able to force through any legislation they wish. And with the mountainous amounts of cash spent on these campaigns especially from out of state groups bent on controlling the country, we the voters are losing our control of our own states and the country.
       Now I suppose a state where the vast majority of citizens are of that one party, a one party state government is to be expected, but that doesn't mean they should be allowed to gerrymander the districts to eliminate any chance of the other party getting to have any representation. There is a simple solution to the problem. A law that requires all electoral districts be determined by a non-partisan committee based on a square or as close to that shape as is reasonable and possible. And that party registration may not be considered in drawing those lines.