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Path: utzoo!utcsri!utcs!bjf
From: bjf@utcs.UUCP
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Solution to what to do with old politicians
Message-ID: <540@utcs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Mar-85 11:24:33 EST
Article-I.D.: utcs.540
Posted: Wed Mar 20 11:24:33 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 20-Mar-85 11:44:57 EST
Reply-To: bjf@utcs.UUCP (Bruce Freeman)
Distribution: can
Organization: University of Toronto - General Purpose UNIX
Lines: 24

Rather than reform the senate we should examine why it exists. Quite simply
it is a dumping ground for people who have served their party well for many
years and never got elected or lost a close election or retired ...

So the problem becomes what to do with these people. It would be a cruel blow
to put them in private industry after all those years at the public trough. At
present they are put in the senate where they can live out their declining years
in peace and quiet. If we got rid of the senate we would have no place to put
these people. Recently I read somewhere what seems to be the perfect solution.

			Bring back honorary peerages

Right now a senator walks into a restaurant and the maitre'd recognizes him
or her and says, "Maurice a table for Senator Smith and companion". Everyone
looks up in the restaurant and says, "Oooh, look it is Senator Smith". They
don't know who Senator Smith is but the person *is* a senator. So basically
taxpayers are paying people so they can get good seats in restaurants. How
simple it would be if instead we gave out honorary peerages like they do in
Australia or New Zealand. With peerages there is no money. It is free to
taxpayers. It solves the problem of getting seats in restaurants (Maurice, a
table for Sir John and companion). In short I think that this idea deserves
serions consideration as a means of senate reform.
-- 
Bruce Freeman	University of Toronto	{decvax|ihnp4|utzoo}!utcs!bjf