Saw that poll over there, about whether or not you'd serve as president, if picked at "random." However I saw a lot of flaws in that premise. Pure "randomness" is impossible, although with a little pre-requisite criteria, I could see it happening. Here would be my requirements:


1. Minimum age requirement: 40 years.
This helps weed out the "immature" candidates. A little Vygotskian aptitude goes a long way. Especially when considering social contexts.

2. Minimum education: M.A. degree from accredited college
This helps weed out the "stupid," and the "unmotivated." Every other job application requires some sort of education. Why not this one? Considering the position, dude better be pretty well educated.

3. Citizenship: Citizen + minimum 3/4 of the candidates life lived within the USA
Obviously, this eliminates immigrants, who do not fully understand America. However, this includes folks like "Ahnold" for instance, who've lived most of their lives here, and have no different understanding of America, than your typical citizen.

4. Minimum employment: 8-10 years of senior management in a large corporation (CFO position, or higher) + exemplary recommendations.
I know you neo-socialists are gonna hate this, but tough chit...the United States Government is America's largest "company." If we're just going to "put" someone in this position, then that person better DAM sure be able to prove that they can successfully run a profitable large company.

5. Personal record: No prior convictions + credit rating of at least 650 + personal debt-to-income ratio to be within "reasonable limits."
Here's where a candidate's true personal responsibility comes into play. I don't care if the candidate "inhaled," but I care if he dealt drugs. A good credit rating = basic financial responsibility. The debt-to-income ratio = basic financial judgment.

Note: No mention of political affiliation, nor beliefs or religion.

FOCUS: Would you add any requirements? Disagree with any?

__________________
"I should be calling collect from jail for the things I commit each night in my head" - D. Mustaine.

A President should be an inspiring leader and an effective representative. I can imagine a lot of different ways for someone to become that. I guess I would say that honesty, compassion, strength, calm and a good sense of humor are the strict qualifications.

Unfortunately, no President in my lifetime has had more than a very few of those.

I'll just nitpick your categories.

I'd be okay with that. Though it's not much different from the current 35.

Disagree. I know plenty of effective, intelligent people who have a B.A., and plenty of ineffective people who have master's degrees and doctorates. Then there are the high-school dropouts who go on to become well-read and well-rounded through life and informal education. If we had to have an education requirement, I'd draw it at B.A. But a person's smarts and knowledge should be judged on an individual basis, not on the accreditations they've managed to accumulate.

I'd be okay with that, though we might quibble on the 3/4 requirement. How about 2/3? That way, someone who came here when they were 20 could run for office when they were 60.

Or how about ditch the fraction and just make it a straight number? 25 or 30 years, say.

Completely disagree. This is a recipe for oligarchy. Government is not a corporation, and there are plenty of qualifications for president that don't involve the ability to turn out widgets. Leave this to the voters.

As a practical matter these are requirements anyway. But I'd point out that your criteria pretty much excludes entrepreneurs -- the guys who take the risks and crash and burn as often as they succeed, and are indispensable to a healthy economy and nation.

It would be ironic indeed if a nation build on entrepreneurship barred them from running for president.

__________________
Man up.

Yeah I disagree with YOU, ya bootlicking Zud lackey



--

I just wanted to comment on this:

Actually Ahnold would have a very different understanding of America versus someboby who was just born here by 'accident'.

Ahnold made a conscious decision to be an American, he went out of his way and worked hard for it.. rather than just being at the right place at the right time.

__________________
.




"When I'm in command, every mission is a suicide mission!" -Capt. Zapp Branigan
The United Church of the Latter Day Tangential Tarts

Yeah, good idea, you definetely don't want people my age running for office

I like this, but I would prefer if the candidate had to be fully educated on books that are essential for good governance such as Sun Tzu's Art of War, Plato's Republic, Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, the American Constitution and an in depth knowledge on history.

Yeah, I think that is definetely fair. I have lived in Britain for 10 years (still an American however) and while I do understand some domestic issues (namely from familiy members explaining and watching news while I'm there) I am not fully up to date.

No, definetely not. It would be good to have that but it should not be a requirement, like Raytri said, it's too oligarchal.

Can't argue with you there, this is a necessity

Other than a comprehensive knowledge of leading books in 'statecraft' I would say an IQ test

__________________
I'll tell you this no eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn
You may bury my body, down by the highway side,
so my old evil spirit can get a Greyhound bus and ride.
You and I must fight to survive

I would also add that after appointed, the "president in waiting" would go through a rigorous training period, complete with "diplomacy 101," "warfare 101," etc.

Also, intensive studies into the democratic, republican, and libertarian parties. Kinda like "refresher courses" on what those parties are about. Doesn't mean the guy has to pick one. Just means he needs to understand them.

__________________
"I should be calling collect from jail for the things I commit each night in my head" - D. Mustaine.

Well two of your suggestions would have eliminated George W. Bush, so that certainly would have been good for America and the planet.

I personally like all the existing requirements now as they are, but I am willing to give non-natural-born citizens, like Arnold, the benefit of the doubt in some kind of minimum requirement of years spent in the United States.

Although your requirement of 3/4 still wouldn't allow Arnold to become president seeing as he is 60 and he came over when he was 21. Rather than doing a fraction, I think having a set number of years (10-15) would probably work better.

As for the rest of the requirements, I think they are pretty much pointless because the american people probably won't elect some bankrupt, out-of-work, associates degree nurse to be president.

__________________
Signature:

That they believe in limited government and maximum freedom with a voting record to back it up (coupled with the existing requirements) and that is all that is necessary for me.