Last Rights

This episode of the Astral Codex Ten podcast, titled 'Last Rites,' explores a satirical yet deeply thoughtful proposal to fix the dysfunction of the U.S. Congress by ratifying the unpassed Congressional Apportionment Amendment (CAA) from the original Bill of Rights. The amendment, which would dramatically expand the House of Representatives to around 6,641 members—making it the largest legislature in history—aims to combat gerrymandering, reduce the influence of large donors, and re-engage citizens with their representatives. The episode traces the amendment's history, from its near-ratification in 1789 to its revival decades later by a UT Austin student who successfully pushed it through as the 27th Amendment. The host argues that the CAA would make Congress more representative, less polarized, and more accountable, while also creating space for third parties. A key twist is a deliberate typo in the amendment’s third clause, which would make it logically impossible to follow under certain population levels—creating a potential constitutional showdown between textualism and originalism. The episode ends with a call to action: 27 states must ratify the amendment for it to become law, and the author urges state legislators to take the lead. The episode blends political satire with serious structural critique, using humor to highlight the absurdity of a system that resists reform while being fundamentally broken. It challenges the notion that Congress can fix itself, proposing instead a grassroots, state-led movement that bypasses federal inertia. The core takeaway is that real change may come not from within the system, but from outside it—through constitutional mechanisms that don’t require congressional consent. The tone is wry, hopeful, and intellectually playful, suggesting that even a paradoxical constitutional flaw could be the catalyst for democratic renewal.