tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086764876629036045.post4820397136884611144..comments2023-10-06T06:29:02.689-04:00Comments on A Bright Cape: Nomination AbominationSkyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10723733406348223879noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1086764876629036045.post-47036797824359721702010-04-13T11:55:23.980-04:002010-04-13T11:55:23.980-04:00Actually, the US Senate is elected, is not always ...Actually, the US Senate is elected, is not always the same party as the house and doesn't rubber stamp things because they are distinct elected body. This difference comes because Congress is elected by population and the Senate is elected by state (two senators per state, regardless of population) so while the mood of the nation does then to swing both houses one way or the other, it is not a forgone conclusion that they will be the same. Of course voting against party philosophy is also quite normal in the states, and pretty much unheard of here, so the individuals matter as well as what party they represent. We can't be sure that an elected senate wouldn't change Canada's political landscape; it really depends how senators are assigned to regions.<br /><br />Canada's senate on the other hand largely just rubber-stamps things because they know that exercising their powers would be seen as undemocratic. At worst they hold something up or send it back for more debate, but in the end they cave to the government because they kind of have to.<br /><br />The US supreme court, on the other hand, is just plain terrible. They make real decisions that have substantial impacts on everyone, and they do so with no real deference to the law which makes them a mockery of a court. Canada's supreme court, which is also appointed by our leaders but without scrutiny in the House, is respected internationally as a great body and used by many nations that don't have their own Charter of Rights equivalent as a guide for decisions about human rights. This is because Canadian leaders have traditionally chosen supreme court judges from those nominated by peers as good jurists rather than choosing those who will blindly follow an ideology (this may be changing).<br /><br />In the states democracy comes primarily from Congress and from the Senate while in Canada it comes primarily from the courts (calling our parliament a democracy is kind of a joke). I think the solutions are as follows: For the US get rid of elected judges everywhere, wait 50 years for the partisan judges to trickle out of the system, then have judges choose the supreme court. For Canada, we need serious election reform to bring some kind of meaning people's votes.Sthennohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05429676469805661834noreply@blogger.com