Article 1, Section 3, Paragraph 5
The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.
Pro Tempore President
Servants should not be allowed to pass off their responsibilities.
It is sad to not see the Vice President more actively involved in the Senate as its presidency today. Instead a Pro-Tempore leader from the majority political party runs the show.
The Constitution did not anticipate this issue. It seems the only involvement of the Vice President in the Senate today is to cast the very rare deciding vote.
This clause also allows for the inclusion of as many officers as the Senate deems necessary. This too has been exploited. Senators feel as if they are part of a House of Lords. They feel a staff and lots of amenities are part of their monarchy.
The framers of the Constitution were horrified at such a thought. They understood they were servants to the common man, and as such had no special rights or privileges.
By assuming that future Senators would feel the extreme sense of duty, allowances were made for an open ended appointment of officers. Senators have found this to be very valuable passing their responsibilities over to a host of other people, so they do not have to shoulder the blame for things not being done right or in a timely manner.
This shirking of responsibility has led to an abuse of power and privilege on every level. Citizens are overwhelmed as to what should happen to make things right.
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