Help me out. I first read about this in an article written by Obama in the Washington Post.
I can't get over this congressional oversight committee Obama supports, from his website:
That's why I've recently introduced legislation that would create a Congressional Ethics Enforcement Commission to act as the American public's watchdog over Congress. This proposed Commission would be staffed with former judges and former Members of Congress from both parties, and it would allow any citizen to report a possible ethics violation by lawmakers, staff, or lobbyists.
The Commission would have the authority to conduct investigations, issue subpoenas, gather records, call witnesses, and provide its full public report to the Department of Justice or the House and Senate Ethics Committees.
obama.senate.gov
This seems to be either an appointed potential Star Chamber, or another powerless layer of bureaucracy.
If it is a Star Chamber with real powers, then doesn't it violate the checks and balances clauses, melding powers of the Legislative and Judicial branches?
If it is toothless committee, isn't it just another layer of worthless bureaucracy that -- falsely -- removes responsibility of the voting populace and media to oversee and elect honest government? Not to mention determine -- through voting -- what honest government is?
Tell me I am wrong, and tell me how a supposed constitutional scholar can propose such legislation.
It really bugs me that every time we have a perceived crisis, so many are willing to chuck the Constitution out the window, or worse how they want another layer of bureaucracy that removes their own citizenry responsibilities to police their own government.
Dan D. |
