If all legislative power rests in Congress, then how can we be in a situation where the Congress can refuse to pass legislation that would allow control of CO2, yet the EPA can unilaterally declare CO2 a pollutant subject to its authority to regulate. There is a systemic problem here that extends to virtually all regulatory agencies created by Congress. True, the laws that establish these agencies and assign their mission contain enabling clauses that allow the agencies to pass their own regulations. But what we are seeing with the EPA, the FEC, the FDA and others is a system that is now broken and obviously not within the contemplation of the Founders. What we need to right this is, at minimum, a law providing that no regulation shall become operable unless and until affirmatively approved by Congress.

Dafydd-

As one Constitutional non-scholar to another, I think that “Electors” are “People” who are eligible to vote. That is, those who meet the voting eligibility requirements to elect the lower house of their state legislature are also eligible to vote for Members of the House of Representatives. “The People” presumably includes everyone subject to the Constitution -- those eligible to vote plus minors, non-citizens, etc. Note that similar language concerning the people and electors (minus the capitalization) appears in the Seventeenth Amendment.

Concerning citizenship, my guess is they thought that the longer someone has been a citizen, the more solidly linked he/she is to this country; and the higher the office, the more solidity they required. Note that Senators need to be citizens for nine years. The Framers must have seen a danger in having a foreigner arrive, become a citizen ASAP (whatever that meant at the time) and immediately run for Federal office. The danger doesn’t seem as grave today.

Article One, Section Five, Paragraph Two begins: Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings

That little sentence is the the single largest mistake in the Constitution.

With that sentence, both Houses set up a system of committees that allow the Chair of those committees to prevent legislation from ever reaching the floor. Thus denying equal representation to the 45% of the population whose party happens to be in the minority at the time.

With that sentence, both Houses have authored rules that exempt themselves from the laws they pass, including laws forbidding insider trading.

That one sentence, along with the Seventeenth Amendment, are primarily responsible for a Congress that sees itself as ruling elites, rather than representatives.

Thanks for hissing in, . Now you can slither in with a comment, o wise. (sign out)

(If you haven't hissed a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Hang loose; don't shed your skin!)

URL:
Remember me unto the end of days? AyeNay!

Comments: (Sssselect text and bite a button to apply HTML tagssssss...)