I agree with everything you've written.

I'd just like to add, that all scenarios we've discussed have violence (maybe just implied) as a motivator though. Generally speaking, the one thing people in power care about more than anything, is staying in power. This is why I think things like Jury duty are great. I'm suspicious of the person who wants to be the jury, I'd expect a much more fair ruling from those who don't. I think the same way about politicians. I'm suspicious of the person who wants that job, and their motivations. I think if we picked a random (well diversified) assortment of citizens to be senators every year, things might turn out a lot better. And as an addendum, things like the EPA and FCC and appointed positions like that which require a level of expertise in a field beyond just parroting what your constituents desire, should be reserved for people who actually have that expertise.