American Royalty and The Religious Rights

Recently a term came to mind when I was reading an article: American Royalty.


When reading that article, two Senators (Ted Stevens, Dan Akaka) -- one Republican, one Democrat -- were highlighted. Sen. Stevens has held office since he was appointed in 1968! And, while Sen. Akaka is only currently serving his 4th term (he was appointed in 1990), his colleague from Hawaii, Sen. Inouye has been elected to the U.S. Senate continuously since 1962!


A single term for a senator is 6 years. So, when we note that Sen. Akaka is only a 4-th term senator, we're effectively talking about 24 years! I remembered (from my study of U.S. history) how the nation's founders had been explicit in forming, in their own words, "a more perfect union." They had been precise in stating their opposition to "oligarchy, ..., monarchy." Thomas Paine (Common Sense) had discussed the Republican form of government.


In those formative years of the Republic (which would come to be called The United States of America) certain points of view were expressed in debate which preceded the adoption of the U.S. Constitution¹. These points of view specifically emphasized opposition to titles of nobility, which was consistent with the contemporary French notions against monarchy.


But when we view official statistics (U.S. Senate), the phrase "American Royalty" is the only phrase that fits². Currently, there are 4 Senators who could be considered "American Royalty."

Robert C. Byrd
Edward M. Kennedy
Daniel K. Inouye
Theodore F. Stevens

On the other hand, if we use Congress' own definition of term limits as it created for the Presidency (2 terms), we must add these Senators to the list:

Daniel K. Akaka
Max Baucus
Robert Bennett
Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Jeff Bingaman
Christopher S. Bond
Barbara Boxer
Sam Brownback
Thad Cochran
Kent Conrad
Larry E. Craig
Christopher J. Dodd
Pete V. Domenici
Byron L. Dorgan
Russ Feingold
Dianne Feinstein
Charles E. Grassley
Judd Gregg
Tom Harkin
Orrin G. Hatch
Kay Bailey Hutchison
James M. Inhofe
John F. Kerry
Herbert H. Kohl
Jon L. Kyl
Frank R. Lautenberg
Patrick J. Leahy
Carl Levin
Joseph I. Lieberman
Trent Lott
Richard G. Lugar
John McCain
Mitch McConnell
Barbara A. Mikulski
Patty Murray
Harry Reid
John D. Rockefeller IV
Richard C. Shelby
Olympia J. Snowe
Arlen Specter
Craig Thomas
John W. Warner
Ron Wyden

This means that about 50% of the Senate is an American Royal. American voters across the nation have instituted term limits for their state legislators, governors, mayors, and other public offices. Why is it, then, that we do not have term limits on the U.S. Congress?


As a nation, we missed our best chance when we ratified the 22nd Amendment (proposed March 21, 1947; ratified May 4, 1951). That was the amendment which restricted the Presidency to 2 terms. Because it would require a constitutional amendment, this will be very difficult to do. Consider that, since 1985, every Congress has introduced legislation to repeal the 22nd Amendment... :(

Ok... no discussion of politics would be complete without some word about religion, right? Ok. I'll not say anything about religion in this entry... but religious leaders -- particularly American religious leaders, who appear to be more leaders in politics than leaders of religious insight -- are highlighted in this YouTube entry. I found it very entertaining... don't give it much thought though... because the underlying reality is pitiful.

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¹in 1789, some 13 years after the Declaration of Independence was adopted
²Since congressional representatives have short, 2-year terms, it is not as likely for an individual to hold a seat for more than a decade in that branch of the legislature.