Ace brings up ...

.
... some good points about what's wrong with our political system:

The only thing that can change is the incentive structure offered by the voters. As Milton Friedman observed, you will not get a good government by electing "Good People" to office. You either will not be able to accomplish this, or these Good People will soon become Bad People because that is the nature of the system.

The way you get good government is set the rewards -- and punishments -- such that even Bad People will make Good Decisions, out of pure self-interest.

Isn't this interesting, in light of the suggestion that T Jefferson made about liberty and the blood of tyrants and patriots?

Now, I'm not saying that we should just start the wholesale shooting of our representatives who screw up, but there is surely something a bit ... milder ... that we can do.

Part of the problem is the federalization of everything; the further away from the local, the less likely that an outraged citizenry will act. After all, it's much easier to influence your neighbor who's a legislator than it is someone who lives across the state.

A blogger of my acquaintance said (regarding the student who was not allowed to re-apply sunscreen in TX): Seriously, fathers have a duty to beat the living shit out of people like this. One good ass kicking can permanently reform the idiot, and serves as an object lesson to others. "Wait, is this decision callous enough that some angry father is going to beat me to a pulp? Then maybe I should double check my answer and see if there's a better solution."
Does anyone not think this would work on our elected officials?

pm