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Mark Trahant: Democracy an unfinished experiment
Monday, August 29, 2005

"Should half a population get a guarantee of at least some representation in the body politic? The proposed Iraq constitution says as much, reserving one-quarter of its parliament for female candidates.

The law will be re-evaluated by the next government, based on the participation of women and continue "only if they show interest and ability."

Wow. That's something we Americans need in our charter -- especially if you go beyond gender. Imagine what we could do with our Legislature and Congress if we could get rid of those who show neither interest nor ability.

Then again a two-year plan to reserve 25 percent of legislative seats in the United States would nearly double the number of women in the U.S. Senate, now at 13 percent, or the U.S. House, now at 14 percent."

Get the Story:
Mark Trahant: Not everyone represented in America (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 8/28)

More Mark Trahant:
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