Federalist Paper #51
James Madison, whom I admire greatly, as much for his role in the establishment of our country as for his sheer brilliance, stated in the Federalist Paper #51 (the following is my paraphrasing) that when a government is formed the first priority is to give that government the tools to control the governed. It seems to me he is talking about laws. The second priority, and possibly most important, is to give the government the structure required to control itself.
The United States has come closer than any predecessor Democracy in achieving “a more perfect form of government.” We can and should learn from our ongoing experience. There may be no “perfect form,” but perhaps we should consider that life appointment to the Supreme Court is not ideal in practice. Might it not be better if appointments were made by a consortium composed of equally represented party membership taken from those persons elected to the Senate?
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