TrentEngland.com

A lot of people are upset about “the government.” And there’s a lot to be upset about, from the lack of personal ethics displayed by state legislators like Sen. Phil Rockefeller, sponsor of the “title only” tax bill (that is, it’s blank—they’ll write it later) that had its “public hearing” in today’s legislative session, to every member of any legislature (especially the U.S. Congress) who votes for spending with no intention of seeing that the bills get paid.

But the worst of it all, is how these people came to power. Not one of them marched into a capital as part of a conquering army. And though some were born or married into wealth and power, no one can actually get to Congress that way.

These rogues and scoundrels were nearly all elected … by the people. Most of our worst politicians were elected fair and square, put into power by the people even as they compete to see how quickly they can regulate, tax, and indebt us into oblivion.

This is our crisis and our opportunity. Too many voters are suckered by candidates promising a free lunch and other too-good-to-be-true government “bargains.” Yet every politician is vulnerable at election time.

The first thing you notice outside Vermont’s Capitol Building is that it’s beautiful, set back on a hill, built in the classical style, and topped with a golden dome. And the first thing you notice inside is that it’s small. Walk around and it only gets smaller.

The members have no personal offices and no personal staff. Neither do the party caucuses. Each committee has a room with a table in it. Legislators work either from their slice of that table or from their desk in the House or Senate chamber (or in the cafeteria or the hall). And everything is as open as could be, so long as you’re not claustrophobic.

It was a beautiful thing, in my opinion, to see legislators really working, working themselves rather than relying on personal or caucus staff. In truth, the reliance on professional staff is a threat to representative government. It has also undermined limited government as legislatures hire staff to do what they would not otherwise have the time to do.

Now if we can only figure out how to bring some of the spirit of Montpelier back to Olympia….

And remember, there’s more about my trip over at Save Our States: Protecting Federalism and the Electoral College.