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Respect Tradition

"I believe the judiciary branch of our government has overstepped its authority on countless occasions, overturning and in some cases just ignoring the legitimate will of the people." -- House Majority Leader Thomas DeLay (R - TX)

"I am in favor of impeachment ... mass impeachment." -- Michael Schwartz, chief of staff to Senator Tom Coburn (R - OK)

There is a revolution occurring in the United States. And it is not in the streets. It is in the halls of Congress. We have three branches of government, the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. I learned about the system of checks and balances we have in the government in my junior high school government class. We talked about the method those opposed to a bill can use, the filibuster, to delay a vote ... apparently, the many Republicans in the Senate and the President, who, last time I checked, was not a member of Congress, do not appreciate this age-old method that has been around since the beginning of our Republic.

Way back before the turn of the century when the Democrats were in control of both houses of Congress, frustration mounted when Republicans would pass the baton of debate to brother Republicans and talk through the night about whatever they felt like talking about. I don't recall the Senate or the President wanting to change the rules about filibustering. This is the United States of America, and the filibuster is part of the package.

Changing the rules about traditional filibuster and the number of votes for cloture is a fundamental change in the way the government has run for many years, being done to get just a dozen judges appointed. It deprives a traditional power from the minority, allowing the majority to run roughshod over the people they have a duty to serve and the Constitutional system they swore to uphold.

FDR despised the Supreme Court, which struck down much of the New Deal legislation that was designed to stimulate the economy and bring the country out of the Depression. He wanted to add justices to the Supreme Court to get his way. The activist judiciary theory of today sounds strikingly similar to that of the Roosevelt era. And he's the big bad Democrat who brought Social Security into being.

Impeachment of judges for failing to do as Congress wishes is a direct threat to overthrow the system of government, which was designed to have three co-equal branches. So much for the independent judiciary, the elected-for-life judges, who need not fear reprisals by those in power because of the lifetime appointments they receive.

Respect for tradition and the institutions that have served this country well for many generations must be considered so that future generations can depend on the traditions and institutions for stability of government and not government by the whim of a few alarmist zealots who see dangerous conspiracies to topple the Republic where none exist.

Posted by Bill at April 8, 2005 10:55 PM