Well hell, I'm biased, but if you only have doctors making decisions about medicine, then maybe you should have lawyers making decisions about law?
Like, you have to be a lawyer to be elected? Hell, if you're going to make law, you should understand it.... Also, perhaps be subject to disbarment if you really screw up. A la, Clinton, who was in trouble for the lying as an attorney.
I've actually been thinking about that lately for some reason. My own thoughts lean toward requiring whatever the law school equivalent of a 3.5 GPA would be (possibly the same thing, I don't know) and setting up large amounts of public assistance for law school to prevent it from become a trick to bias things significantly toward the wealthy. Then probably something about experience working in government-related areas of law and demonstration of acceptably ethical practices, and maybe if you can figure out sufficient guidelines for what would qualify as exemplary professional behavior let that override the school requirements so that you're not forever shackled to a single number that can't be changed. And don't grandfather in current office-holders, but have a 10 year delay between passage and the system going into effect.
This is, of course, completely implausible, and no doubt full of unforeseen consequences and general dumbness. Still, fantasy scenarios are nice sometimes.
The only problem I have with this is the "law school GPA requirement," as GPA in law school is totally BS, because law school teaches you absolutely nothing at all. I learned everything I did through interning four years straight under an attorney, watching actual court cases open to the public. I've had good and bad semesters in law school, including a 4.0 GPA one semester. I enjoy grilling law professors and making them sweat on how terrible of a job they do. It is a hobby of mine and the only reason I attend alumni events at all. They know this and not to expect a dime from me ever.
Thus, due only to my experience outside school, I was actually practicing right out of law school, whereas most graduates, without the slightest exaggeration, do not know where the courthouse is or what to do there.
I will not hire a law school grad with a high GPA until and unless they convince me they know what they are doing while I mercilessly bust their chops and actively attempt to make them cry. This is due solely to the high GPA. I'm serious, as our current clerk is quite useless and thinks she's the shit while I end up doing her job because she's incompetent. She loves to spout off about her 3.9 GPA and I love to ask her simple questions she should know but does not have a clue about. Most of them are quite worthless and expect to be paid while I teach them their head from their ass.
It is for this reason that I am adamantly against the ABA, refuse to join it, and pay it no heed. Same thing with my law school alumni association. I am fully for the ABA setting itself on fire and dying as the useless thing it is.
I do applaud you for the thought though, especially the part about how it's biased towards the rich. Too many times have I seen people there because their daddy owns a firm. They are typically the most useless of all.
The way I see it, you tick a box next to a law on the voting site. You can tick it or untick it at any time. A law stands as long as it has over 50% ticks from the total eligible voter base. Well, maybe make it 55% to go in effect and 45% to cease, so it doesn't rapidly flip-flop at certain points in time.
And the laws which are unpopular but necessary?
You convince the voters that they're necessary, and point out the them the bad things that are occurring because these laws are not in place.
And if the public refuses to see reason as they often do? I like the idea, but frankly, eh. People don't like speed limits, because they get tickets. Perhaps they should be changed as far as the actual speed limited but without them, people will cause accidents and people will die/get seriously injured. People get really pissed behind the wheel in this country as they are all in a big damn hurry to get anywhere. They would happily do 100 MPH or max out their car's speed if they could. The German model wouldn't work here. I don't trust people on the roads driving as fast as they do now. The first flake of snow means they all forget how to drive here and you see them in the ditch at the side of the road. Now imagine if they were doing 110 MPH instead of 70.... Yeah.
The very reason we have laws, is because PEOPLE CAN'T agree. It'd be lovely if they could, but they can't, or at least they don't. No one EVER admits they are wrong in court until and unless they are convinced they have 0 chance and even then they just blame the law as being unjust. Because, nothing... nothing at all... is their fault.
RedKing gets it.