Theoretically a group can win delegates in a caucus with just an issue not a candidate - for example you can all agree that the most important issue is Oranges (a fruit that doesn't grow in Iowa...) and get a delegate without committing to a president. Of course in practice most people show up only for the president poll and leave as soon as that is over.
You realize that every single thing you said there is political, right?
'Simplifying' the tax code could be ideological, but it's only overtly political given the interest groups of those who profit from complicated taxes.
But by that virtue - every little policy of every government agency implies 'politics' and so we'll get nowhere.
There's quite a lot of things that Americans widely support, even on some of the heavy 'litmus' issues, it's surprising how much Americans have in common.
So yes, you're right, everything would be pulled apart by Fox and MSNBC, but there's a lot that would be less divisive.
> "clean out the cobwebs"
This isn't specific enough to respond to.
> "get rid of a bunch of old laws"
Which ones, and why? Sure there are probably some like where people can tie up horses or something that aren't especially relevant, but having them there causes no harm because they aren't used.
> "clean up the tax code"
There is no way to do this without creating winners and losers. Choosing who wins and who loses is a political act.
> "take on the public unions"
Taking on unions is one of the most political acts you can do. Whether or not it is "right", unions are a powerbase of some political groups.
> "operational house cleaning that has nothing to do with politics"
What - specifically - do you mean? The two examples you give here are highly political.
Folks can take home the stub to ensure non-repudiation etc..
They can look up the serial number on the stub they take home to see for sure it was recorded.
FYI we should also have basic ID requirements for voting. The arguments against it are kind of ridiculous, and federal or state ID should be free.
There should be no 'voter registration' required either: the state knows your address and that's that.
For lighter elections like city alderman, you can use your ID + passcode to SMS or email your vote.
Maybe make a law requiring that any tech used for legal voting has to get the thumbs up from the NSA or some super amazing agency that is also secular in nature. None of this 'quickie app for voting' rubbish.
At this point, I hate politics so much, I think every nation needs a 'caretaker' Pres/PM from the bureaucracy - someone who can clean out the cobwebs, get rid of a bunch of old laws, clean up the tax code, take on the public unions (I mean reform not destroy, I mean teachers probably need higher salaries) and basically do a big, operational house cleaning that has nothing to do with politics.