Conference rusure::math

1592.0. "The Empty Senate" by BEING::EDP (Always mount a scratch monkey.) Tue Apr 07 1992 08:54

    The following is a letter to the editor by Dr. John A Baker, Pure
    Mathematics Department, University of Waterloo, that appeared in the
    Canadian Mathematics Society _Notes_ 24, number 3 (April 1992):
    
         Canada's contemporary constitutional conundrum can be
         partially attributed to the problems of senate reform.  Mr.
         Getty wants a triple E senate, M. Bourassa doesn't and others
         prefer that it be abolished.  I hereby wish to propose a
         quadruple E senate which, I claim, would be agreeable to
         everyone.
         
         The New Math, which was introduced into our schools in the
         60's, is based on the elements of Set Theory.  Thus, as
         everyone knows, anything you care to say about a member of
         the empty set (l'ensemble vide) is true because the empty set
         has no members.
         
         I therefore propose that the senate be EMPTY.  This is
         equivalent to abolishing it but has the advantage of being
         quadruple E and thus satisfying everyone.  In an empty senate
         each province would have an EQUAL number of senators (zero). 
         The provinces would have proportional representation; if
         Quebec has m consumers and Alberta has n then m . 0 = n . 0 =
         0.  Every member of the empty senate would be ELECTED. 
         Moreover, an empty senate would clearly be at least as
         EFFECTIVE as our present senate.
         
         An empty senate would have many other desirable features. 
         For example, each of its members would be bilingual and, no
         matter what the salary scale, it would cost us nothing.

    RE: -.1
    
    � Getty wants a triple E senate ...
    
    What does "triple E" and "quadruple E" mean?

    Re .1:
    
    I presume "triple E" is equal, elected, and effective.
    
    
    				-- edp

I would have thought Evasive and Expensive would be included... :-)