"Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, the people alone have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government; and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness require it."
Senators like Ted Kennedy, Orin Hatch, and Robert Bird, who has been a senator for over fifty years, have made serving as senator a profession. How can individuals who have been in a government position for so long be able to understand the working class citizen and represent them? Do the senators end up serving the American people or themselves? I believe it can become almost like the House of Lords in Great Britain were every Lord has his position in Parliament for life. When individuals hold high government jobs for so long they begin to have more power than is healthy for the United States. Take for instance President Franklin D. Roosevelt who, breaking the tradition started by George Washington, held office for almost four whole terms. Did he start to get more power than is healthy for liberty? Yes he did. Since then the 22nd Amendment was passed prohibiting more than two terms for a president. Will congress ever pass an Amendment limiting their terms? No, because to them it would be like getting hired with the condition that you are layed-off after a few years of work. The Founders of America did not intend government positions to be life-time jobs, but rather a service rendered to this country.
5 comments:
Supreme court justices are appointed for life, this is constitutional. I agree that congress, both houses are NOT intended to be a lifetime job, but a service to their constituents. I intend to do all I can to CAN our Senator in the next election.
Hatch ran on a limited term platform. He said he would only stay for 3 or 4 terms. He's been there for 6. Now since he has been there so long, he has senority and is high up on the list for power. This he parlays into the "Benifit of Utah". Yeah right. He also has the most money in his re-election warchest so it is hard to run against him.
Very true. Toqueville said the strength of America is that each person is a citizen, meaning that they take part in their own government. He saw that politics was kept local and every man served in governing the community in his turn. He said the quality of government might not always be high, but the quality of each citizen is high and that individual freedoms are preserved.
I'm so glad you are thinking of these things and studying our founding principles. I appreciate the chance to have a dialog with you this way.
We've come a long way away from that since he observed it in action in the early 1800's
I seems to me that twelve years for senators and 8 or 10 years for representatives should be plenty. There needs to be a constitutional amendment to that affect.
I agree. I dont see why people are "honoring" him and making him sound like a king or something.
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