7/21    Wouldn't we be better off having an "executive council" of a few people
        (e.g. 3) instead of one single elected leader? It would look more
        democratic. They could hold terms of 6 yrs each, staggered with
        an election every 2 yrs. Majority rule. Plus, watching them bicker with
        each other would be fun. Also we'd eliminate the useless VP role.
        It works for the Supreme Court, right? We don't have one single Supreme
        Judge.
        \_ We could have a Politburo, elected by elected  representatives of
           communes.
        \_ We have three branches of government instead of one single
           elected leader.
           \_ We have one single elected executive, I mean. Besides, the other
              branches don't get nearly as much scrutiny as the POTUS. POTUS
              is responsible for appointing SCOTUS and all this stuff
              that people complain about with Bush.
              \_ POTUS focuses a lot of scrutiny by being the sole Executive.
                 POTUS _nominates_ SCOTUS Justices, but Congress approves or
                 denies; similarly, Congress proposes legislation which POTUS
                 approves or denies. The current system of checks and balances
                 works, if the players are willing to fulfill their roles.
                 \_ Ok how about: put leader 1 in charge of Air Force, leader
                    2 in charge of Army, leader 3 gets the Navy.  They
                    can roll dice each week for who gets supreme command.
                    Ok, just kidding... someone else come up with a motd
                    subject damnit.
        \_ The Triumvarate never worked very well for Rome.
           \_ That's not strictly true. It just didn't work out in the long
              run.
              \_ Neither did Rome. So what? This isn't an argument.
                 \_ ... dum conderet urbem
                    inferretque deos Latio; genus unde
                    Albanique patres atque altae moenia Romae.
                       ...
                    en huius, nate, auspiciis illa incluta Roma
                    imperium terris, animos aequabit Olympo,
                    septemque una sibi muro circumdabit arces,
                    felix prole uirum
                       ...
                    tum pater Anchises lacrimis ingressus obortis:
                    'o gnate, ingentem luctum ne quaere tuorum;
                    ostendent terris hunc tantum fata nec ultra
                    esse sinent. nimium uobis Romana propago
                    uisa potens, superi, propria haec si dona fuissent.
                    quantos ille uirum magnam Mauortis ad urbem
                    campus aget gemitus
                       ...
                 \_ [latin deleted]
                    \_ I'm adding a translation I found on the internet.
                    ... until he founded a city and brought his gods to Latium:
                    from that the Latin people came, the lords of Alba Longa,
                    the walls of noble Rome.
                    ...
                    Behold, my son, under his command glorious Rome will match
                    earth's power and heaven's will, and encircle seven hills
                    with a single wall, happy in her race of men.
                    ...
                    O, do not ask about your people's great sorrow, my son.
                    The fates will only show him to the world, not allow him to
                    stay longer.  The Roman people would seem too powerful to
                    you gods, if this gift were lasting.

                    \_ Ille ego, qui quondam gracili modulatus auena
                       carmen, et egressus silvis uicina coegi
                       ut quamuis auido parerent arua colono
                       gratum opus agricolis, at nunc horrentia Martis
                 \_ The Triumvarate "worked" for Rome in a variety of ways
                    until it didn't. The original statement lacks any rigor.
                    \_ Since both times it was tried, it led to a civil war,
                       no further evidence is needed. Unless you think a
                       civil war every few decades is a good way to run
                       your government.
                       \- one of the "Big Questions" in Roman scholarship is
                          "was the Roman Revolution inevitable" [or more of
                          a contingent outcome]. RSYME is "the standard"
                          and one of the important rebuttals/reconsiderations
                          is by EGRUEN (UCB Dept History...one of the finest
                          lecturers at Berkeley). Anyway, the "it led to civil
                          war" is a little glib, like say "the assassination
                          of Archduke Ferdinand led to WW1".
                       \_ Worked for Thomas Jefferson.
        \- the more appropriate roman analogy would be to the practice of
           dual consuls. and there were two Triumvirates ... the
           first was an alliance, not a formal structure of govt. and
           groups of 3 can be quite unstable because it is open 2:1, so
           that may make one "the decider". anyway, it is silly to go on.
           \_ Why is that more unstable? With 1, that one is the decider.
        \_ See Julius Caesar Act IV, Scene 1
        \_ Brain for world emperor:
                _              _
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                  /(_#(__)#_)\       /  By right of superior intelligence,    \
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             /\//\\(  `--~~ )        \  of this planet.                       |
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