Should the people have the right to vote for an impeachment?

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Of course, people should be able to do that. Even though I think democracy is stupid, they are voted in by the people. If the people want him to get out of the office, the official should follow the will of the people.

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Jul 07, 2005
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SilentMasamune I'm all washed up. . .

Quote by DarkBlade-yes and if they disagree, we can stick a gun to their head or
something, government has no power over something they dont govern.
(mostly talking about rebellions and revolutions and such...)

However, I think it comes as a cost. If the people should vote for impeachment of officials, like the mayor or governor because of a seemingly bad term, they should at least think about what would happen if the official leaves out of office. There's no guarantee that things will be better if an official is impeached. Still, I think that the people made this land possible, so they should have the most say.

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Jul 08, 2005
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shinsengumi Retired Moderator . . . remember me?

Quote by SilentMasamuneA question just dawned upon me...do you think that people should be able to vote to impeach an official in office, such as the president, a member in congress, the senate, a member of the house of representatives, or the governor of a state or mayor of a city?

The subject of your question is extremely misleading, because the question you ask is not whether people should have the right to vote, but rather if they should have the right to impeach officials in office. To this question, I must say no, most certainly not. People have the right to vote for officials who are constrained by the prescribed limits of their responsibilities, including their term limits.

One of the fundamental rules that guides actions is consequence. Just as people have the right to choose in a democracy, they have to bear the consequences of their choice. Officials cannot be removed on a whim because people suddenly have a change of heart, as effective governance requires, among many things, confidence and continuity.

As a result, while there should be mechanisms by which officials can be removed if it is demonstrated that they are corrupt or otherwise unfit for office, these mechanisms must be extremely difficult to utilize such that they are only used when absolutely necessary and not on a whim lest they dilute the rule of law and ultimately bring forth the collapse of the state. Giving people the power to remove officials at a whim does in fact set up so dire a situation, as it creates, as has been demonstrated throughout history, mob rule.

In short, no. People should not have the ability to vote to remove elected officials from office. I urge people who think otherwise to seriously and critically rethink their opinions on the matter and remember that in any particular situation, what is best in the short-term may set dangerous precedents that may be of greater harm in the long-term situation.

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Jul 16, 2005
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FredGreg Cynical pedant.

Quote by SilentMasamune[D]o you think that people should be able to vote to impeach an official in office ... ?

No. 'Impeachment' is removal from office plus jailing... the people put the officials there, so they should be able to vote them out before term, but jailing is a matter for a proper trial by jury, under the full auspices of the law.

President, Mayor, etc., are popularity contests, so popular will should govern the exiting of said offices. But jail should never, ever, be a popularity contest. Such a system is simply not just.