Originally Posted by SteveZ

If the post seemed ridiculous to you, that's your call.

As Gov. Patterson is the duly-elected official to determine such an appointment, he speaks for the 19.3 million citizens of New York; thus, the voters speak through him.

Every time I see the Kennedy adoration society genuflect before another clan member, it makes me glad to be a former Bostonian.

Every time I see someone carpetbag into a state, especially one of a dozen-plus million citizens, and blitzkrieg into office by virtue of name recognition and heavy advertising, I become more impressed on how quasi-celebrity status and excellent marketing is more impressive to voters than then less-than-flashy person who has lived the state issues and can actually find their way around the state without a GPS and a personal guide.

Every time I see the country slip further into a select "ruling clique" consisting of a relative handful of families and a general herd of serfs who are expected to accept being "ruled" by this party elite (and both major parties do this!), it makes me wonder how much longer this Great Experiment occurring in North America will continue to survive.

The Senate is becoming the American "Privy Council" and the House of Representatives heading towards being the "House of Lords."

Whatever happened to the Founders' concept of citizen-delegate who served for a term or two, but went home to work their "real job" and then hand the baton to a local replacement. They actually believed that each district had more than one citizen competent to represent, and that was with a much smaller and less educated population back then.

Perhaps a periodic monarchy is what the masses today really want....