See the System at Work
Real votes. Real laws. Real numbers. What happened, why the system produced it, and what would change under the repairs proposed here.
- Case · Honest Books & Ownership
How Much Does the U.S. Pay in Interest on the National Debt?
About $970 billion in the last full fiscal year, more than it spent on national defense and about 18 cents of every dollar of federal revenue. That bill is on course to more than double within a decade. Here is where the number comes from, why it is rising, whether it matters, and what has and has not worked to contain it.
Updated September 13, 20265 min readRepair 03: The debt cannot grow faster than the country does - Case · Honest Books & Ownership
Will Social Security Run Out, and What Actually Happens in 2032?
No. Social Security cannot run out while people are working and paying into it. What the trustees project is that the retirement trust fund's reserves will be gone in late 2032, after which incoming taxes cover about 78 percent of scheduled benefits. Here is what that means, how big the gap is, and what it would take to close it.
Updated September 13, 20264 min readRepair 03: A transition that breaks no promises - Case · Elections & Accountability
Can Independents Vote in Primaries, and Why Does It Matter?
In most states, yes, with conditions. In about a fifth of states, no. It matters because in most House districts the primary is the election that actually decides the seat, and a small fraction of voters decide it. Here is how primaries work, what opening them does and does not change, and one way to let every voter into the election that counts.
Updated September 13, 20265 min readRepair 01: One open primary ballot for every voter - Case · Honest Books & Ownership
What Is a Trump Account, and What Does It Prove?
A savings account for children, created by the 2025 tax law, with a one-time $1,000 federal deposit for babies born 2025 through 2028. Here is what it is, how to get it, and what it does and does not prove about giving every American a stake from birth.
Updated September 13, 20263 min readRepair 03: An investment account for every American, beginning at birth - Case · Elections & Accountability
Why Doesn't Congress Just Vote on It?
Introducing a bill does not entitle it to a vote. A committee chair, the Speaker, the Rules Committee, the Senate majority leader, or a single senator can stop one without anyone recording a position. A veterans' bill with 340 House sponsors and 81 Senate sponsors has never had a vote in either chamber. Here is how that happens, and one way to change it.
Updated September 13, 20265 min readRepair 01: Any bill with real bipartisan support gets a recorded vote - Case · Elections & Accountability
What Is Gerrymandering, and Why Does It Keep Happening?
Gerrymandering is drawing election districts so that one side wins more seats than its votes alone would earn. It works because, in most states, the people drawing the lines are the politicians who will run inside them. Here is how it works, why courts rarely stop it, and one way to end it.
Updated September 13, 20264 min readRepair 01: A public formula draws the districts, not the politicians - Case · Elections & Accountability
Why Does the Government Keep Shutting Down?
A shutdown happens when Congress misses its own deadline for the quarter of federal spending it has to approve every year. Here is what actually stops, why the deadline keeps getting missed, and what would have to change for it to stop happening.
Updated September 13, 20264 min readRepair 01: Miss the budget deadline, and the public is protected while the chamber answers for it - Case · Elections & Accountability
Can Members of Congress Trade Stocks?
Yes. They can own and trade individual stocks, including shares in companies their committees oversee, as long as they report the trades. A bill the House passed in July 2026 would limit new purchases but not end ownership. Here is what the law says, what would change, and why a rule most voters want has not passed.
Updated September 13, 20264 min readRepair 01: Index funds only, while in office
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