Novus-America
23-02-2007, 00:08
Okay, Classical Liberals, I need your help. Edmund Burke said a long time ago, "Your representative owes you not only his industry, but his judgment, and he betrays you when he sacrifices them for your opinion." It is only within the last several months, my period of true political awakening, that I understood the logic behind this. However, I had previously come to understand the logic behind the Anti-Federalist's argument for the people controlling the "purse strings" of their elected officials.
Both sides are well justified. In order to combat corruption and help ensure that politicians serve the people, the people should be able to control how much their representative makes. However, doing so also carries with it the very real problem that the people would abuse this power and make their representative their puppet and have him follow only their opinion, and not his own judgment, or else he faces the possibility of becoming penniless. Now, of course, the last argument can be circumvented if the representative had an independent source of income. However, that sort of situation opens the door to only having wealthy businessmen holding office and, should they be more concerned with power and privileges, corrupting the halls of legislature.
Any ideas?
Both sides are well justified. In order to combat corruption and help ensure that politicians serve the people, the people should be able to control how much their representative makes. However, doing so also carries with it the very real problem that the people would abuse this power and make their representative their puppet and have him follow only their opinion, and not his own judgment, or else he faces the possibility of becoming penniless. Now, of course, the last argument can be circumvented if the representative had an independent source of income. However, that sort of situation opens the door to only having wealthy businessmen holding office and, should they be more concerned with power and privileges, corrupting the halls of legislature.
Any ideas?