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The Stadium of Representatives: The End of B20 Week :-(

2012-11-09 · Hank · watch on YouTube · US politics & society · explainer learning

Answering viewers' questions after his Puerto Rico video, Hank explains why the House of Representatives exists, how its seats were capped at 435 and are reapportioned after each census, and what Puerto Rican statehood would mean for it; he also ends the Brotherhood 2.0-style week.

What is said

00:00:00 — Greeting; Hank's early knowledge of the Volt and his jealousy; viewers' questions about the House after his Puerto Rico video

  • ★★ Hank says he was one of the first people in America to know the Volt would be a thing: he interviewed its designers, drivetrain engineers and concept-car designers. — 00:00:00
  • ★ Hank admits he is jealous of John's Volt, jokes he hasn't visited Indianapolis enough because John had no Volt, and says he'll see John soon. (playful) — 00:00:00 · Indianapolis
  • ★★ After his Puerto Rico video drew many questions about what the House of Representatives is, how seats are assigned and why it exists, Hank explains it to end Brotherhood 2.0 week. — 00:00:00 · Brotherhood 2.0

00:00:29 — Why the House exists: the founders' compromise between equal and population-based representation; 65 seats in 1790; the 1910-era cap at 435

  • ★★★ Hank says the founders split between equal representation per state and representation by population, and compromised: a Senate equal for every state and a House apportioned by population. (playful) — 00:00:29 · United States Congress
  • ★★★ The House started with 65 seats, about one per 60,000 of America's roughly four million people in 1790. — 00:00:58
  • ★★ Had a seat kept being added for every 60,000 new people, Hank says, the House would now have over 5,000 members. — 00:01:27
  • ★★★ Around 1910 Congress capped the House at its then size, 435 seats, where it still is; the number isn't in the Constitution but has long been in place. — 00:01:27
  • ★★ Because the 435 cap has been in place so long, Hank thinks it is really unlikely the number will ever go up again. (hedged) — 00:01:27
  • ★ Hank remembers 435 with the phrase 'need for speed' (four, three, five letters), the video game he was playing in 1996 when he took civics. (playful) — 00:01:27

00:01:56 — One representative per ~700,000 people; the census and reapportionment (Oregon/Washington example); what Puerto Rican statehood would do to the House

  • ★★★ With population growing and seats fixed, there is now one representative for roughly every 700,000 people. — 00:01:56
  • ★★★ Hank explains the census exists partly so House seats can be redistributed after population shifts: if 700,000 people left Oregon for Washington, a seat would move from Oregon to Washington. — 00:01:56
  • ★★★ A State of Puerto Rico, with about four million people, would automatically get two senators and at least one representative, and deserve four or possibly five representatives. — 00:02:26
  • ★★ Since the 435 can't grow, seats would be taken from other states; citing an online report, Hank says Florida, Washington, Texas, California and Minnesota would each lose one. — 00:02:55 · Florida
  • ★★ Because of its fairly large population, a State of Puerto Rico would have quite a bit of sway in the House, certainly more than Montana, which gets only one seat. — 00:02:55 · Montana

00:03:24 — End of the Brotherhood 2.0-style week: fun, but Crash Course and SciShow need time; sign-off

  • ★★★ Hank says this concludes the week of Brotherhood 2.0-style videos; it was really fun and he wishes they could keep going. — 00:03:24 · Brotherhood 2.0
  • ★★ They can't keep it up because of Crash Course, SciShow and other work, and Hank hopes Nerdfighteria thinks that is worth it. (hedged) — 00:03:24 · Crash Course, SciShow, Nerdfighteria

Humor (significant)

  • Hank admits he hasn't visited John in Indianapolis enough in the past few years. — 00:00:00 > «and frankly, that's just because you didn't have a Volt.»
  • Hank retells the founders' dispute over representation as a squabble between bros. — 00:00:29 > «No way, man, OMG, it should totally be based on population, duh.»
  • By around 1910, adding a seat for every 60,000 new people was clearly a terrible idea. — 00:01:27 > «because they were going to have to rename it the stadium instead of the house.»
  • Hank imagines 700,000 people deciding Oregon smells bad (it doesn't, it's lovely). — 00:01:56 > «And they all move to Washington, which is pine fresh.»

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