Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Nodler co-sponsoring amendment proposal


State Senator Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, is again working toward eliminating the checks and balances system in the Missouri Constitution.
Nodler is co-sponsoring SJR 23, sponsored by Sen. Matt Bartle, R-Kansas City, which proposes a constitutional amendment which would say that the "power to determine public school funding shall be exclusively the province of the people's elected representatives in the General Assembly and their Governor. The power to determine public school funding shall not fall within the province of the judiciary."
While on the face of it, that proposal sounds like a good thing, the wisdom of allowing any of the three branches complete power without a check on it goes against our system of government. If governors are not happy with the judges, they have the power to appoint ones that are more in line with their philosophy. The legislature has to approve those judges, while the voters have the ultimate power to turn out their elected officials if they are not happy with the way they are represented.
While I do not agree with every decision made by judges (some of them are downright outlandish), I still feel more comfortable knowing that someone will be able to examine laws to see if they are constitutional.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Civics. Basic civics. Guess Mr. N never learned about that when he was a kid. Damn govuhment-funded schools!

Anonymous said...

He's rapidly becoming an unbearable bully. Then again, maybe he always was an unbearable bully. We just didn't know it.