When people lose the right to petition elected officials, what is next?

[VaBusa]

This is a non-partisan discussion...

Let's say you have corrupt elected officials that do some pretty unsavory, unethical and immoral things for personal gratification/gain on the very night they first take official office. They may not be illegal, but they certainly skirt the realm of what's right when representing citizens as you were elected to do.

Now let's say that a group of citizens opts to form a movement to have them investigated and eventually removed from office. They obtain legal counsel, they dot every "i" and cross every "T". Thousands sign petitions and they are turned in to take step two in front of a judge, but the judge deems this all a waste of time and tosses the petitions, and all the work to voice dissent, aside.

Those that were petitioned against (the elected officials in question) in turn sue those same citizens that circulated petitions, and win. Those petitioners are ordered to split the full cost of said legal fees which turns out to be thousands per person. Furthermore, the elected officials in question vote themselves full reimbursement for all other legal fees they've amassed due to other ongoing accusations stemming from that first night in office and the things they did; this is to be paid by every citizen in their jurisdiction. Citizens had no say in the number of lawyers they secured or at what cost, but they get to pay the hefty fee for doing what most feel citizens are allowed to do, and that is petition your gov't and speak out against wrongdoing.

So, if you're not happy with your representation and feel they're corrupt, and you try to take the right path to petition to have them removed, you're sued and must pay them for their legal fees.

Is this what our constitution had in mind?

Opinions?

 

[Projekt]

Can you quote a specific occurrence for this?

 

[VaBusa]

I'll send you something in a PM...

 

[Projekt]

Sounds to me like a reciprocal slander/defamation suit by the politician. Is that in the ballpark?

 

[VaBusa]

Sounds to me like a reciprocal slander/defamation suit by the politician. Is that in the ballpark?

You have a PM...just some light reading

 

[Southside Playa]

Sounds like BS. But that tends to be the trend with politicians nowadays, which shouldn't be surprising, seeing as how they are/were all Lawyers ........

 

[Mr Bogus]

gotta love it when the courts and the politicians are sleeping together... Escalate to the supreme court?

Sounds like the corrupt small town thing.. get a ticket, go to court, judge is the cop that wrote the ticket?

 

[lavinrac]

Politicians unfortunately for the most part are friends or old colleges with the same judges that may have to pass judgment on them. I am not sure what instance or instances you may be referring to but that just seems to be the way things are going at this time.



On a side note.. I GOTTA KNOW PM me please.

 

[VaBusa]

Corruption in a small town is an understatement Randy

Funny though, every judge that's been involved in said case has been a "visiting judge" so yeah, you have to wonder why that is

 

[VaBusa]

Politicians unfortunately for the most part are friends or old colleges with the same judges that may have to pass judgment on them. I am not sure what instance or instances you may be referring to but that just seems to be the way things are going at this time.



On a side note.. I GOTTA KNOW PM me please.

PM sent...

 

[VaBusa]

There are dozens of amazing, jaw-dropping things I could share, but I think the most disturbing is the ability to SUE citizens that petition against an elected official. It's a petition, signatures, thought it was everyone's right?

I find it very unsettling that you can be held liable for their decision to obtain legal counsel because people are signing petitions...

 

[Mr Bogus]

I hate to say it and especially in this case, but apathy about elected officials is probably about the biggest culprit in "corruption"

Here you have citizens that get genuinely interested and/or involved but the years of apathy leading up to this has left the system unresponsive as it is rife with "good ole boys" of the preceding office holders.. They are not going to upset the "apple cart" so to speak...

The "vocal minority" also have a lot of responsibility too.. squeaky wheels sometimes should not be oiled, they need replaced.. yet for a few votes? break out some lube.... The majority is often silent and should not be..

As soon as you figure out a fix? we need to clean house at the federal levels too..

I would have to bet this is a most disheartening thing to have happen....

 

[MET]

It would be nice, but by law we can not recall anyone in Congress with out Congress taking the vote.

As to removal by recall, the United States Constitution does not provide for nor authorize the recall of United States officers such as Senators, Representatives, or the President or Vice President, and thus no Member of Congress has ever been recalled in the history of the United States.

However on a local level you can petition depending on the state.

 

[dadofthree]

Corruption in a small town is an understatement Randy

Funny though, every judge that's been involved in said case has been a "visiting judge" so yeah, you have to wonder why that is

Probably because the local judge was familiar with both parties and recused themselves, which was the right thing to do, plus they don't have to be involved.

 

[VaBusa]

It would be nice, but by law we can not recall anyone in Congress with out Congress taking the vote.

As to removal by recall, the United States Constitution does not provide for nor authorize the recall of United States officers such as Senators, Representatives, or the President or Vice President, and thus no Member of Congress has ever been recalled in the history of the United States.

However on a local level you can petition depending on the state.

This was local...very small town politics...

 

[VaBusa]

Probably because the local judge was familiar with both parties and recused themselves, which was the right thing to do, plus they don't have to be involved.

I believe that is indeed the case, but the visiting judge has been just as corrupt...

 

[VaBusa]

I hate to say it and especially in this case, but apathy about elected officials is probably about the biggest culprit in "corruption"

Here you have citizens that get genuinely interested and/or involved but the years of apathy leading up to this has left the system unresponsive as it is rife with "good ole boys" of the preceding office holders.. They are not going to upset the "apple cart" so to speak...

The "vocal minority" also have a lot of responsibility too.. squeaky wheels sometimes should not be oiled, they need replaced.. yet for a few votes? break out some lube.... The majority is often silent and should not be..

As soon as you figure out a fix? we need to clean house at the federal levels too..

I would have to bet this is a most disheartening thing to have happen....

But in this case there were citizens willing to get involved and they were penalized by being ordered to pay legal fees.

I honestly don't know where the country is going if this happens in the lowest levels of gov't. I am astounded...

 

[VaBusa]

Or maybe I'm just wrong...honestly, I'm interested in knowing how others would feel if they signed their name to a petition knowing you may be held liable for doing so in a very negative and costly manner...kind of takes away a basic right...

 

[Mr Bogus]

Or maybe I'm just wrong...honestly, I'm interested in knowing how others would feel if they signed their name to a petition knowing you may be held liable for doing so in a very negative and costly manner...kind of takes away a basic right...

that does pose a scary situation...

But is what revolts are made up of too

 

[VaBusa]

that does pose a scary situation...

But is what revolts are made up of too

We need more revolts, all the way around...