Conflict of Interest in the Ratification of the Constitution?

Here are some fun stats we compiled about the ratification of the constitution:

Number of members of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia: 55

Number of members who signed the constitution at the end of the Convention: 39

Number of Constitutional Convention Delegates who also served at their State Ratifying Conventions: 29

Number of those 29 who voted in favor of their own work: 24

Wikipedia defines "conflict of interest" thusly:

"A conflict of interest is a situation in which someone in a position of trust, such as a lawyer, insurance adjuster, a politician, executive or director of a corporation or a medical research scientist or physician, has competing professional or personal interests. Such competing interests can make it difficult to fulfill his or her duties impartially. A conflict of interest exists even if no unethical or improper act results from it. A conflict of interest can create an appearance of impropriety that can undermine confidence in the person, profession, or court system."

Founder-Chic believes that there was a serious conflict of interest in the Ratification Process. The people supposedly ratified the constitution, but with so many of the Convention Delegates passing judgment on their own work, it seems like the people might have gotten the shaft.

We think that Massachusetts Convention Delegate Amos Singletary summed it up nicely:

“These lawyers, and men of learning, and moneyed men that talk so finely and gloss over matters so smoothly, to make us poor illiterate people swallow down the pill, expect to get into Congress themselves; they expect to be the managers of the Constitution and get all the power and all the money into their own hands, and then they will swallow up all us little folks, like the great Leviathan."

Yes, Mr. Singletary, isn't that the way it happens? First the elite make the constitution, then they ratify it themselves, and then they take positions of power within the new government that they've just created. What else can we call that but tyranny?

Bad Founders, very bad. We see you and we are not pleased.

Founder-Chic Fact or Fiction: Fourth Branch Edition

We try not to get involved in petty political issues. After all, Founder-Chic does not like to use her fine powers for evil. Nor, however, do we like to see the U.S. Constitution so carelessly perverted. That document has enough problems of its own, we believe. Therefore, we've decided that a brief Founder-Chic Fact or Fiction is necessary to clear up this nonsense about the Vice-President not being a part of the Executive Branch. Fourth Branch, indeed!

Fact or Fiction: The Vice-President is NOT a part of the Executive Branch, as current VP Dick Cheney claims.

Verdict: FICTION. Let's turn our attention to the September 7, 1787 Constitutional Convention Notes, shall we? (pg. 596) Things were wrapping up; folks wanted to go home; everybody was bitchy--you get the idea. They were discussing this new post that they had just made up called the Vice-President. No body knew exactly what it was or why they made it...all of a sudden, poof! presto! there is a Vice-President. Now, what does the Vice-President do?

Article 1, Section 3 (in the final version) of the Constitution states, "The vice President shall be ex-officio President of the Senate."

Gerrymander, "opposed this regulation. We might as well put the President himself at the head of the Legislature. The close intimacy that must subsist between the President & vice-president makes it absolutely improper. He was against having any vice President."

GM, "The vice president then will be the first heir apparent that ever loved his father. If there should be no vice president, the President of the Senate would be temporary successor, which would amount to the same thing."

Shermy, "saw no danger in the case. If the vice-President were not to be President of the Senate, he would be without employment, and some member by being made President must be deprived of his vote, unless when an equal division of votes might happen in the Senate, which would be but seldom."

The states eventually voted 8 to 2 to approve the Vice-President as president of the Senate, even though he had a "close intimacy" with the President. John Adams was the first V.P. and was miserable--both at the job and in the job--earning himself the nickname "His Rotundity."

Therefore, Mr. Cheney, I believe that you are, in fact, a member of the Executive Branch. And, remember this: information wants to be FREE.

Oh, and here is a cute little Jon Stewart YouTube on this whole thing.

xoxo
M.O.W.

Not-so-blind Item: We see you GM!

What peg legged, hAArd-pAArtying, ladies man and writer of the Constitution's Preamble spoke more than anyone else at the Convention in Philadelphia? (and twice as often as anyone in that room would have liked him too.) He was against slavery (good!) BUT he was also solidly against giving power to the people (v. bad!)

UPDATE: Not one guess? Come on folks! Hint: his initials are GM.