(Episode 42) Hashtag Petty: The 27th Amendment (and Season Finale!)
Listeners: we've done it! We've made it to the final Amendment to the United States Constitution and the finale of Season 4. Can you believe it? We've learned so much together. Excuse us if we get a little misty.
This episode, we discuss the 27th Amendment, which reads:
"No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened."
AKA, nobody gets a raise until the voters agree you've earned one.
This Amendment is unique in that it took 200 years to ratify. The original idea was passed by two-thirds of both houses in 1789 - that's right . . . with the group of amendments which ultimately became the Bill of Rights. Congressional pay was a big issue at the Constitutional Convention because the Founders wanted to keep the opportunity open to all (rich and poor), but they also wanted to ensure that public office didn't attract those engaged in "s…
This episode, we discuss the 27th Amendment, which reads:
"No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened."
AKA, nobody gets a raise until the voters agree you've earned one.
This Amendment is unique in that it took 200 years to ratify. The original idea was passed by two-thirds of both houses in 1789 - that's right . . . with the group of amendments which ultimately became the Bill of Rights. Congressional pay was a big issue at the Constitutional Convention because the Founders wanted to keep the opportunity open to all (rich and poor), but they also wanted to ensure that public office didn't attract those engaged in "s…