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Representative government or political nepotism?
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In our American system of government, the Founding Fathers held to a strong belief that the best way to preserve our liberty was to keep the power of government in the hands of the people. Key to that power, was the ability of the governed to select those who would govern over them. However, it would appear that Colorado would prefer another system.
Nepotism - noun : favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
In a story written by the Denver Post, we find that politicians from both parties have created a "back door" method of not only avoiding those pesky elections, but also making it easier for parties in power to stay in power.
Under the state constitution, when an office becomes vacant, it shall be filled in the manner prescribed by law (Article V, section 2, par 3). In a convenient set of circumstances, it's these same "servants" of the people who write the laws. It also states that vacancies must be filled by be a member of the same political party.
This is a problem for two reasons:
- It takes away the right of the people to determine who will govern them.
- It creates a form of political nepotism, where party power replaces the power of the people.
There are additional factors contributing to this problem. The people of Colorado voted to approve term limits for state offices in order to prevent "career politicians" from using the power of the incumbency to retire on the public dime. However, true to the law of unintended consequences, political parties can actually prosper at the expense of the voters.
When an opening for office is about to take place because it is term limited, the affiliated party simply has the term limited member "resign" before their final term expires. Once this is done, the party leaders appoint a replacement, who is then able to run for "re-election." This results in Colorado voters being disenfranchised by allowing state party leaders to make the appointment.
We also see this problem when a U.S. Senator or Congress member vacates their office. In these cases, the Governor will appoint someone who is usually of the same party as his/hers. Sometimes, the Governor can help his party gain an additional seat when the person vacating the office is a member of a party different than his/hers. In any event, the governed are prevented from selecting those who will govern.
The Denver Post article tells of the Denver District 31 Senate seat that was held by Jennifer Viega, who recently resigned and was replaced by another appointment. There hasn't been an open election, meaning there was no incumbent, since 1977. In my own congressional district, where I've lived for over 12 years, I've never cast a vote where the state and county offices weren't held by an "incumbent."
On the Federal level, we have an inexperienced Senator representing us in Washington (Michael Bennet D-CO) who many in his own party feel wouldn't have won the office on his own. He was appointed by Democrat Governor, Bill Ritter, to fill the seat vacated by Ken Salazar when he was appointed to be Secretary of the Interior.
While only half of the states in the U.S. require a special election to fill a vacancy, we need look no further than stories like District 31 in Denver or Michael Bennet to see that there is a problem with the current system.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed (emphasis mine).
These stirring words are found in the Declaration of Independence and provide proof that our Founding Fathers envisioned a Republic where leaders were selected by a vote of the people. It's the very basis of our form of representative government.
In Colorado, they prefer political nepotism.
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