I was at the Capital the other day delivering the Wisconsin Conservative Digest to a few Representatives. It happened to be the day the Republican-led assembly was voting on Tony Evers’ “fair maps,” and wouldn't you know it, I passed by one of the newly elected Republican Representatives from the Northwoods waiting at the elevator.

Before I could hand them one of our papers, I overheard their companion say, “So, how did the redistricting vote go?” I stopped in my tracks and listened as the rep said, “I just stood there and pressed my green button… it’s for the good of the party.” What?! I walked up to the rep and asked, “What party?” They asked who I was. I gave them a copy of our paper, told them my name, invited them to write for us, and then left them with these words, “The next time you take a vote, forget about the party. Vote your conscience.”

I should have said, “Vote for the good of your constituents,” but I didn’t because I was so frustrated that I couldn't think straight. I didn’t want to argue with the representative because I knew exactly where they stood on the issue of Representation. The words rang in my ears: “I just stood there and pressed my green button”. Wow. That says it all, doesn’t it?

When these Republican representatives run for elected office, they are all gung-ho about fighting for the people they represent. They will tell you that they are conservative as the day-is-long, and you better believe they are going to Madison to bring some common sense to that backward commie-land called Madison. Then, when they finally get there, they just stand there and press their green button because the leadership tells them to. What a joke. No wonder the Wisconsin Legislature only has a 34% approval rating in the last January Marquette poll.

I can easily see how someone can be convinced it is for the good of the Republican Party to agree to the “fair maps” so that maybe Republicans have a chance to retain the majority in the Legislature. But this was the time to fight. This was the time to offer a vision for the future.

Here is something Republicans could have fought and voted for: Increasing the number of Representatives in Madison. The Wisconsin Constitution limits the number of Assemblymen to 100. And guess what? You don’t need the approval of the radical liberal governor to change the Constitution. It takes two successive legislative sessions and a vote by the people to enact such a change.

Because it's been over a hundred years since we've increased the number of Assemblymen and Senators.

Increasing the number of districts would mean constituents had a better chance of being heard and holding elected officials accountable when they stop listening to the people. For most of our history as a State, an Assembly district has had about 23,000 people in it. Right now, districts are packed with about 60,000 people in them. So, your voice is diluted. And that is precisely what the party's leadership wants (I don’t care what party you are talking about). Most Representatives in Madison don’t represent the people. They want to stand there and push their green button for the party leadership who will pat them on the head and write a check for their next election.

One objection to such an idea might be: Where would we put all these new Representatives? And if you have ever been to the Capitol, you know that's a legitimate question because there are only so many offices for the Reps in that Building. So how about we make the Representatives have their offices in the District they represent? They can even hold regular office hours and meet with constituents more than once a month. How does that sound to you?

Honestly, the only pushback I get from this idea is from currently elected officials and party leadership. That's it. Everyone else thinks this is a great idea. And when I say party leadership, I include the talking heads and the brown nosers on political talk radio (From both the Left and Right end of the spectrum).

For example, one SE Wisconsin radio talk show host, former mayor of Oak Creek Steve's Scaffidi, actually said on air that more representation is a bad idea because it makes the government bigger. He said that. Seriously. He hung up on me before I could counter him by pointing out that you could replace every single legislative aide with a newly elected position and spend absolutely no more money and take up no more space in the Capital. You wouldn't grow the size of government one bit in that scenario, but you would have more people who were elected and empowered to do the business of the people. And as it stands, my legislative aide is more of a representative than my actual representative right now. When you call your Representative’s office who do you end up talking to?

There are important facts that Republicans and Conservatives should consider when thinking about this idea of more representation. Most of the advocacy for more representation isn't at the State or local level. It's at the Federal level. Consider, for example, The District of Columbia’s push for Statehood. That is an idea that can not be allowed to take hold. But it might get a boost from a popular push for more representation.

It’s also a fact that The United States of America’s population has grown substantially over the last century. The result is that Congressmen and women seem far too removed from the average constituent. The disadvantage to Republicans in Congress with more representatives is that the Democratic party would likely gain control of the House of Representatives because of where the population has grown, which is many in the urban areas. However, I think if Republicans become champions of the idea. The people will reward them by keeping them in power.

In fact, it seems to me that Donald Trump could prove his love of this Democracy and cement his legacy as a champion of the people by running for President on this idea of more Representation. And since the same issue of physical space is a consideration when adding more representatives to Congress, Trump could be the one to advocate for a brand new Capital Building!

What better way to counter the nonsense of the January 6th insurrectionist rhetoric than by promising the people more Representation in a brand-new Capital building? The whole notion that we can drain the swamps of DC is a fever dream. However, a new capital could be built somewhere in fly-over-country with more Representation than ever before; giving the American people hope for a future where their interests go far above the party leadership, lobbyists, global corporations, and other public-private entities that all try to steal our God-given Freedom by diluting our voices. I say we build it in a State like Ohio or maybe Pennsylvania. It'll be the biggest most beautiful Capital Building you've ever seen.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Andrew Cegielski is Associate Editor of The Wisconsin Conservative Digest