To The Reader’s Forum:

It’s obvious now that the Impeachment process envisioned by our Framers doesn’t work. Congressmen and Senators all voted, in both the House and Senate, whichever way would get them reelected. From the day they are first elected, all politicians think about is getting reelected. It would be pretty naive to think they care about right or wrong, the truth, or what’s good for the country. So, here is a suggestion for a new plan that might work better:

1. Abolish the Senate. It’s an archaic institution, set up in colonial times when people felt more allegiance to their States than to the country. Today, state governments are useless. People don’t care if every state has an equal vote. We’re all Americans first, it’s most important that every person all over the country has an equal vote, and we have that in the House of Representatives. Many countries have unicameral legislative branches — so can we.

2. To make the House even more representative, outlaw gerrymandering of House districts.

3. Initiate term limits of 6 years for House members. One term only. To keep continuity, elect one-third of the House every two years. Then members can focus on what’s right and wrong for the country, not on getting reelected.

4. If crimes appear to have been committed, the House would continue to act as the grand jury, with investigations including witnesses and documents. A vote of the full House (based on the facts and evidence, not on parties or reelections) would determine if the person was Impeached (indicted).

5. Finally, if there are Articles of Impeachment, they would go to the Supreme Court for the trial to determine removal from office or not. The SCOTUS is a co-equal branch of the government, the justices are appointed for life (not running for reelection), they are not obedient to one political party, and they have shown themselves to be fair and impartial.

Michael Looker

Lakewood