Power corrupts! The Supreme Court issue.
Posted on 27. May, 2009 by scott in Social commentary, political munglings
Obama done good.? Yeah again.? We need more diversity and a hispanic woman nominated to the Supreme Court is right on point.
Yet, as you might suspect I have some issues.
Power corrupts and the longer one has power the more it corrupts.? History has proven this time and time again.? Dictators are not a good thing.? Hitler, Stalin, Mao etc., etc., etc.
As I have written before, term limits for ALL politicians is a good thing (a REALLY good thing).? Now we are looking at a politically appointed position on the Supreme Court of our land.? The Founding Father’s had a lot of things right and some things just barely or even flat our wrong (slavery for example).? But this one they just got bad!? It might have worked two hundred years ago, but not now.
Putting someone on ‘The Court’ is a big deal.? These guys influence our culture and laws, they make decisions that will last for decades and even centuries.? Don’t you believe it when you hear that a ‘judge’ will not legislate from the bench.? That is impossible over the long term.? Personal opinions can’t help but influence.? Opinions on one’s religion, political ideology, economic upbringing, education . . . they all have an impact. And they WILL come into play sooner or later and keep on coming for years at this level.
Here is the problem.? Sotomayor is young for the position.? Fifty four years old is young today.? She could live and work for another thirty or forty years easily.? Heck, without a family she has mainly work to motivate and encourage.? Why would she ever want to quit the cushy job if she gets it? She will get comfortable, determined and resolute.? This could turn our bad (not just because of her but ALL the justices).
It is just plain wrong to have any lifetime position.? Lifetime is a LONG time for most of us and one thing I have learned is that the older one gets the less one cares about what people think and the less they worry about criticism (it just doesn’t make any difference to most over 50!).
A judge job is cushy, lucrative and powerful.? In this case it is also dangerous long-term.? The longer one serves the more entrenched they become, the more privileged they feel (the ‘court’ traditionally denies public/media access and is very ’secretive’ in their deliberations), the less likely they are to accept cases they don’t care about or don’t want to put time into, the more entitled they feel and become.
Pretty soon it gets where there is little or no transparency and virtually no oversight.? And we as a nation are stuck with their decisions . . . right or wrong . . . and there are plenty of wrong ones from their past.
No one gets it right all the? time.? We just can’t let them keep chugging when things go bad.? But the way things are right now we have no choice.
And, people, these judges are there for life!? The court becomes a fraternity (or sorority), a country club, an executive dining-room, a clique.? Well, I am sure you get the idea.
Do we want the same people making decisions that affect our lives for thirty or forty years?
Not just no, but HECK no!
Unlike anywhere else in government, our judges (and particularly those on the Supreme Court) are not accountable to the people.? We can second guess them sure, but we can’t change what they do short of the difficult and nearly impossible task of changing the Constitution.? Throw out the 27th (on Congressional compensation) and we are 28 years from the last amendment!
But you know what?? We gotta do it.? We have to push through an amendment that limits the time served on the ‘Court.’?? Ten years makes sense, but surely no longer than fifteen.? And while we are at it let’s limit all elected offices to no more than 8 years.? Period.? No exceptions.
Darn, I like the nomination but I really hate to think of her serving in 2039 while I’m vacationing on the moon with my great-grandkids.
Term limits . . . in all cases!
Thanks for the photo to flickr’s s baker
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