New Selection of Legislators Complete.

Note the title says, "Selection" and NOT "election." That's because last night in Mecklenburg County, two new North Carolina House members were selected by the nomenklatura in the county INSTEAD of by voters. There was no election, not even the appearance of an election. There was no "unopposed" candidate for the voters to pick or to write-in someone else. Instead, a small group, behind closed doors, simply picked the new "representative" for the various proletariats.

And of course, this all happened within the confines of the law. Yes, I used communist terms, and yes, the laws are currently, obviously, very communist. In the communist system of government, the ruling class makes all the rules and decides what is best for the people. It is not a government by the people, and it is not a representative government. That is exactly what happened in this case.

Two legislators waited until AFTER the deadline to file for election. They then announced that they wanted to "retire." Then secret meetings were held to determine their "replacements." Since in one of the two cases, there is zero opposition in the fall, this was direct selection of legislators. NO ONE was given a chance to campaign and win votes. NO people were allowed to vote.

Go ahead, try and convince me that this is a government by the people and for the people. It was once, but it very clearly no longer is.

And in case you were wondering -- these were Republicans doing this.

Posted by: Ogre at 12:37 PM

Comments

1 And this is legally justifiable? Damn!

Posted by: Seth at August 23, 2006 02:34 PM (4OJoa)

2 Absolutely. In fact, if every single legislator waited until after the filing deadline and then retired, literally the ENTIRE legislature would be selected by political parties and not by the vote of the people.

Posted by: Ogre at August 23, 2006 04:13 PM (oifEm)

3 This very definitely strikes me as being a loophole that needs to be rethunk. However, I hardly see that happening, since it's the politicians who would do have to do the rethinking that benefit most from it.

It seems, though, that if runoff elections can be scheduled when needed, regular election days and filing deadlines could be moved back if that was what it took to ensure the right of the voters to choose their legislators.

It becomes increasingly easy to understand the expression, "Don't tell my mother I'm a politician, she thinks I play the piano in a whorehouse."

Posted by: Seth at August 23, 2006 04:58 PM (4OJoa)

4 You're dead on -- those who make the rules would be expected to change them in the favor of the people. A statesman, an actual representative of the people, might actually do that. A politician, especially a career politician, absolutely will not.

Again, I HATE the concept of term limits, but I don't see any other solution -- and the same problem exists there -- how to get career politicians to put term limits in place.

Posted by: Ogre at August 23, 2006 05:01 PM (oifEm)

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