Debating reform : conflicting perspectives on how to fix the American political system / edited by Richard J. Ellis and Michael Nelson.

Includes bibliographical references.

Article V should be revised to make it easier to amend the Constitution and to call a constitutional convention / pro: Sanford Levinson ; con: David E. Kyvig -- Congress should restore each state's freedom to set its drinking age / pro: John McCardell ; con: James C. Fell -- The United States should adopt a national initiative and referendum / pro: Todd Donovan ; con: Richard J. Ellis -- Broadcasters should be charged a spectrum fee to finance programming in the public interest / pro: Norman J. Ornstein ; con: Adam D. Thierer -- Political parties should nominate candidates for president in a national primary / pro: Caroline J. Tolbert ; con: David P. Redlawsk -- The electoral college should be abolished / pro: George C. Edwards III ; con: Daniele H. Lowenstein -- Proportional representation should be adopted for U.S. House elections / pro: Douglas J. Amy ; con: Mark E. Rush -- The "no cup of coffee" rule should be adopted in Washington / pro: Burdett Loomis ; con: Anthony J. Nownes -- The size of the House of Representatives should be increased to 675 seats / pro: Brian Frederick ; con: C. Lawrence Evans and Nicholas J. Bell -- The redistricting process should be nonpartisan / pro: Michael p. McDonald ; con: Justin Buchler -- The Senate should represent people, not states / pro: Bruce I. Oppenheimer ; con: John J. Pitney Jr. -- Senate Rule XXII should be amended so that filibusters can be ended by a majority vote / pro: Steven S. Smith ; con: Wendy J. Schiller -- The president should be granted line item veto / pro: Michael Nelson ; con: Robert J. Spitzer -- The government should scale back the outsourcing of government jobs to private contractors / pro: Charles T. Goodsell ; con: E.S. Savas -- The terms of Supreme Court justices should be limited to eighteen years / pro: Steven G. Calabresi and James Lindgren ; con: Ward Farnsworth -- The United States should adopt an "emergency constitution" to preserve civil liberties in an age of terrorism / pro: Bruce Ackerman ; con: Patrick O. Gudridge -- Residents who are not citizens should be granted the right to vote / pro: Ron Hayduk ; con: Stanley A. Renshon -- The government should require national service for all youth / pro: Robert E. Litan ; con: Tod Lindberg -- The federal government should ensure that no firm is too big to fail / pro: Lawrence G. Baxter ; con: Terence M. Hynes -- Congress should pass the War Powers Constitution Act / pro: Nancy Kassop ; con: William G. Howell.