The Power of the Office

 

The Constitution calls for a way to limit the power of the office of Representative as a check against arbitrary power by government. It was created to limit the number of constituents of a given Representative to 30,000. It was NOT created to limit the number of Representatives. The limit to the number of Representatives is proportional to the population, NOT FIXED! Only the SIZE of each district is "fixed"; at a maximum number of thirty thousand people.

Article I, Section 2, Clause 3, Sentence 1;

"Representatives...shall be apportioned (not fixed), among (not within), the several states...according to their respective Numbers,.."

And the only thing I can think of that IS fixed is described in Article I, Section 2, Clause 3, Sentence 3, wherein;

"The Number of Representatives shall not exceed, (shall be fixed at), one for every thirty thousand,.."

For you math geeks, that looks like this; 1/30,000, so;

Each Representative shall have a maximum of 30,000 Constituents. Period!

That is a FIXED ratio of "apportioned" Representation, that says if the bottom number doubles, so does the top. That's the very definition of "fixed ratio". This means that each Representative shall not have an "excess" of 30,000 constituents or in other words "shall not exceed" the limit of 30,000 voices worth of power. Power to effect large amounts of change is what creates lobbyists and a host of other evils.

So, I take this to mean that a constitutional, rational limit has been placed on the power inherent in the office of Representative. By restricting each district to 30,000 people, you automatically limit the amount of power of each Representative to 30,000 voices worth of power. This is important. Here's why.

If you do NOT have that limit in place and the number could be arrived at in a capricious or arbitrary manner, you would eventually have a Dictatorship instead of a Republic because there would be no limiting factor in place. Think about it; What's to stop them from arbitrarily declaring one day, that 435 is too many and from this point forward we shall now only have two Representatives per state? A total of 100. Just like Senators; with shorter terms. What's to stop them? See the reference to Article I, Section 2, Clause 3, Sentence 1 & 3, above. That's what is supposed to stop/limit them. The Constitution!

Today the number of Representatives in the House is FIXED at 435 by virtue of the 1929 Permanent Reapportionment Act and NOT regularly "apportioned" and CHANGED to match the limit of Article 1,2,3,3; "one for every thirty thousand,.." people, like it is supposed to be. So today our Representative carries the power of over 754,000 voices. WOW! In less than 40 years, that number is slated to reach ONE MILLION VOICES! WOW!

That is one million voices worth of power, (and still growing)!

That's a LOT of power!

That's what this limit was written to protect against and THAT is the most important thing we can focus on to correct the rest of the problems we have and is that is also THE solution to draining the swamp.

Perhaps you are in agreement with my view of the situation?

Comments? Questions?

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Replies

  • The love of money is the root of all evil. The root not a branches are the problem. Until the power of the money is addressed we are spinning in the public hamster wheel.
    • The correct quote, “The absolute pursuit of money is the root of all absolute evil.”, is exactly befitting our current situation.

      We, the People, have allowed our elected representation, our servants, to step beyond the boundaries of their granted powers for far, far too long. Even setting the limit of the number of  "Representatives" at 435 was not within their Constitutional authority.

      That always calls for a "Continental Congress" to be assembled to change any language referring to any part of the assembly of numbers of Congress and the powers granted to them.

      Prior to the "Civil" War for which State’s "Sovereign Rights" were fought, this would never have happened. The result of that War was a Central Federal Government, and the loss of all the States’ Sovereignty.

      Now we have two Political Parties controlling all who are elected to any Public Office. That is Absolute Corruption, and Absolute Evil, with Money being the Driving Force. Now, "We the People" are on a Ship of Fools.

      • Hey Lynn,

        How about this one?

        "Power corrupts and Absolute power corrupts Absolutely."

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