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NEWS ITEM CULLED FROM THE HEADLINES
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich bounced from office

Preserved from the Associated Press
By Christopher Wills
Published: Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009 4:34 p.m. MST

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS — Governor Rod Blagojevich was unanimously convicted at his impeachment trial and thrown out of office Thursday, ending a nearly two-month crisis that erupted with his arrest on charges he tried to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.

Blagojevich becomes the first U.S. governor in more than 20 years to be removed by impeachment.

After a four-day trial, the Illinois Senate voted 59-0 to convict him of abuse of power, automatically removing the second-term Democrat. Democratic Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn, one of his critics, immediately became governor.

In a second 59-0 vote, the Senate further barred Blagojevich from ever holding public office in Illinois again.


RIGHT ASCENSION LEADS THE HUZZAHS

Let it be noted in history today that Illinois finally did the right thing. I can think of a number of Illinois governors in my lifetime who should have been booted out into the street, especially former governor Ryan.

In his address before the Illinois Senate this morning, the now ex-governor feigned shocked indignation, saying in effect that the Senators needed both the real facts and a clear understanding that he had been taken out of context. Fortunately the Senator saw through that claptrap in about a minute and a half. In what context is putting up for highest bid a senate seat as if it were a freakin’ valuable personal property a good thing?


MEANWHILE IN THE UTAH LEGISLATURE

I hear that some Utah legislators seriously want to approve the proposal floating about these days to repeal the Seventeenth Amendment.

We should maintain with grateful gratitude the Seventeenth Amendment in all its glory.

The last two institutions that should ever ever appoint a United State Senator are governors and legislators. If anything, we should strengthen the law to require quick public elections to fill open Senate seats.

Back in the days before 1913 when state legislatures appointed U.S. senators, the whole process suffered from state level corruption from day one. Mark Twain wrote in this period of time that “I think I can say and say with pride that we have legislatures that bring higher prices than any in the world.” Kevin Phillips reports in Wealth and Democracy:

When U S Senate vacancies were to be filled, capital after capital became a cross between a carnival and feeding trough. Satchels were filled with crisp new currency, brothels were rented for entire weeks . . . .all for the cozening of “hapless wretches from the hamlets, fields, and backwoods, struggling against the glitter of such money as they had never seen before.”

Furthermore

Sometimes the hassle of legislative selection stretched over 60 or 85 ballots; the militia occasionally had to be called out (Kentucky in 1897), and from time to time greedy factions simply stalemated. Over a ten year span, thirteen seats in the U.S. Senate were vacant because of home-state inaction. (pp. 239, 240, 241)

In Utah, the U.S. Senate seat now occupied by Orrin Hatch went unoccupied for nearly two years (4 March 1899 - 23 January1901) because the Democrats, the Silver Republicans and the Regular McKinley Republicans could not agree on a suitable senator. More-accurately stated, no one group could sufficiently bribe Utah’s legislature to elect a United States Senator.

RIGHT ASCENSION COMMENTARY:

The Seventeenth Amendment is a good thing. We should keep it.