LEGITIMACY??

By Dave Buhlman

The popularity ratings for both President Bush and the US Congress among Americans are at near record lows. With these low numbers, it's reasonable to question the legitimacy of the politicians in Washington, DC to govern us.

When things get this bad in a parliamentary system, such as in England, there would be a no confidence vote in Parliament and, if successful, new elections would be called. We don't have a parliamentary system here so that won't happen, nor should it. The system set up in the Constitution is the best form of government, although it's too often ignored by our Solons on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. We could improve it by rescinding the Seventeenth Amendment that allowed for the popular election of US Senators. Before the elite-dominated push for this amendment, US Senators were appointed by the state legislatures, which conferred significant power in the hands of elected state officials who are much closer to the people they serve. With the passage of the Seventeenth, power began to move from the state legislatures to the federal government, and the Ninth and Tenth Amendments became largely ignored. These amendments made clear that the sovereign states retained all of the powers not delegated to the federal government in the Constitution. Now there's virtually nothing that does not involve some type of federal help/intrusion.

Congress is now trying to pass an amnesty bill for illegal immigrants, funding for the Department of Defense, a bill that would prevent employers from not hiring/firing homosexuals, handing over the oceans to the control of the nutty United Nations, and other issues that have significant implications for life in America. But with poll ratings this low, the legitimacy of this government to pass additional rules on the rest of us is severely compromised.

So, although Congress and the president can't be replaced via a new vote by the people, they ought to at least restrain themselves from doing more damage. What they should be concentrating on under these circumstances is combing through all of the thousands of laws now on the books and voting to rescind many of them. They could give a thorough look also at dismantling much of the federal bureaucracy. These would be most worthwhile endeavors, which would benefit Americans, so, of course, they will never happen.