No, not that kind of
modest proposal. This proposal has to do with the upcoming election. Frankly, I don't trust any single candidate or party to fix the messes this country is in, war, economic, or otherwise. And I never like having one party in control of the presidency and both houses of Congress. If either candidate ends up with the power to implement their plans unstrengthened by the constructive criticism of alternate ideas (as Bush had to a great extent shortly after Sept. 11, 2001 and to a somewhat lesser extent since then), we'll be in trouble. So, to restore the balance of power in the universe (or at least here in the U.S.), here is my proposal: if you vote for Kerry in the presidential election, vote Republican for any seats in Congress that are up for election (House or Senate). If you vote for Bush in the presidential election, vote Democrat for those Congressional seats. It looks like most of the
Senate seats up for election this years are in states that traditionally vote Republican in presidential elections, so this could theoretically work (in the case of a Bush win, anyway).
I'm sure someone has proposed this at some point, if not for this election, then for others. But I'm putting it out there to be shot down by people who know better than me. (see, strengthing ideas by constructive criticism isn't just for politicians).