Center Stage · Mornings in the Lab
Meet Joseph C. Jenkins
Joseph C. Jenkins is an author, publisher and slate-roof consultant who began roofing in 1968. He wrote The Slate Roof Bible and founded the Slate Roofing Contractors Association. In this appearance, Keith and Jon explore his writing on direct democracy, how modern communication could change participation, and the questions his proposal raises. The political ideas discussed are Jenkins’s proposals, presented with the hosts’ questions.
NEW TOOLS. OLD GOVERNMENT.
Jenkins compares today’s ability to distribute writing quickly with earlier centuries. He argues that modern communication should influence how government operates. Keith and Jon give him space to explain the proposal; the clip preserves his argument rather than presenting it as established policy.
07:50 · Watch this moment ↗
ONE PERSON. ONE VOTE.
Jenkins makes his proposed voting arrangement concrete: a representative would have one vote alongside each constituent. His example of 300,001 votes describes the system he advocates, rather than a system already operating.
26:58 · Watch this moment ↗More places to begin
Current full-cut coordinates, including the original opener lead-in.
Why Jenkins began writing about direct democracy.
The technology comparison at the heart of his argument.
A concrete example of how his proposed system would work.
His roofing background and the experiences behind his books.
The Reel Room
Recorded highlights. The original vertical frame and airtime text promote the recurring show.
NEW TOOLS. OLD GOVERNMENT.
Jenkins compares today’s ability to distribute writing quickly with earlier centuries. He argues that modern communication should influence how government operates. Keith and Jon give him space to explain the proposal; the clip preserves his argument rather than presenting it as established policy.
Watch this moment in the full interview using the link below. Native horizontal and vertical downloads are being prepared.
07:50 · Watch this moment ↗Native highlight downloads are being prepared.
Illustrations depict ideas from the conversation, rather than documented photographs of events.
modern-horizontal.jpg ↓960 × 540 · 0.1 MB · Approved illustrated artwork
modern-vertical.jpg ↓960 × 1706 · 0.3 MB · Approved illustrated artworkOptional post · Guest may edit
We changed how we communicate. Why shouldn’t that change how we govern? I can send copies of my writing around the world overnight without charging for them. That wasn’t possible in 1776, 1876 or even 1976. That’s the point I made to Keith and Jon on Mornings in the Lab with Keith, Jon & Friends. We have tools for communicating with large numbers of people in very short periods of time. My argument is that we should use today’s technology to rethink how government operates today. Keith and Jon gave me room to explain the idea and discuss it. This clip is one part of that conversation. What would you want a system like that to get right before you trusted it? Watch the clip below.
ONE PERSON. ONE VOTE.
Jenkins makes his proposed voting arrangement concrete: a representative would have one vote alongside each constituent. His example of 300,001 votes describes the system he advocates, rather than a system already operating.
Watch this moment in the full interview using the link below. Native horizontal and vertical downloads are being prepared.
26:58 · Watch this moment ↗Native highlight downloads are being prepared.
Illustrations depict ideas from the conversation, rather than documented photographs of events.
vote-horizontal.jpg ↓960 × 540 · 0.1 MB · Approved illustrated artwork
vote-vertical.jpg ↓960 × 1706 · 0.3 MB · Approved illustrated artworkOptional post · Guest may edit
What if your representative had one vote—just like you? In my proposal, the representative would have one vote, and so would each person in their constituency. If there were 300,000 constituents, that would mean 300,001 votes. One of those votes would belong to the representative. The principle I’m arguing for is that the people themselves make the decisions. I explained that idea to Keith and Jon on Mornings in the Lab with Keith, Jon & Friends. This is a proposal I’m putting forward for discussion. The clip gives you the core of it in my own words. What question would you ask before deciding whether it could work? Watch the clip below.
The conversation
Selected dialogue from the conversation.
“We have to start using our technology of today to operate our government of today”
“But it’s the people who make the decisions, it’s the people who decide.”
“That’s what we need.”
One appearance. Full context.
Center Stage on Mornings in the Lab · Episode #3147 · Aired 2026-10-01. The air date is separate from a video’s upload date.
A slate-roof craftsman and author brings his proposal for direct democracy to a conversation about communication, representation and participation.
Guest’s official website ↗Questions and answers
Joseph C. Jenkins is an author, publisher and slate-roof consultant who began roofing in 1968. He wrote The Slate Roof Bible and founded the Slate Roofing Contractors Association. In this appearance, Keith and Jon explore his writing on direct democracy, how modern communication could change participation, and the questions his proposal raises. The political ideas discussed are Jenkins’s proposals, presented with the hosts’ questions.
A slate-roof craftsman and author brings his proposal for direct democracy to a conversation about communication, representation and participation.
2026-10-01, in episode #3147, with Keith Bilous and Jon Andersen.
These are recorded highlights. The vertical frame’s LIVE and airtime text promote the recurring show.
The full interview is available as a low-bandwidth review and a 720p download. All four H/V highlight videos and four dedicated H/V story covers are separately downloadable. Approval states remain individual.
Use the guest’s official sources linked beside the biography.
Keep the conversation going
Native full-interview and highlight downloads are being prepared. The full interview is available on YouTube, and the approved story covers are available above.
