The Questioning Hour

I used to live in Canada, where they have the parliamentary system. Granted, I only lived there for 2 years in my early teens, so I can't get into the finer details of a multi-party parliamentary system, but it is my understanding that their Prime Minister is essentially the Speaker of the House + the President. In reality, it's much more complicated, but that's the gist of it, and my point is not to provide a dissertation on the parliamentary form of government.

Anyway, the one thing that I liked the most about the Canadian system (which I presume they picked up from the British) is the Prime Minister's Questioning Hour. The Prime Minister has to take questions from parliament for an hour a week. This isn't his press secretary giving canned answers like we have in the U.S. This is the prime minister answering his political adversaries directly.

How great would it have been to see President Obama take questions from Senator Ted Cruz? How about seeing President Pumpkin taking questions from Senator Elizabeth Warren? Both Cruz and Warren are brilliant attorneys; rest assured, they know how to cross examine.

I was thinking about that the other day when I heard a neighbor lament that going to Town Council meetings does not afford the opportunity to question our Councilors on what they are doing. Mea culpa, I do not go to Town Council meetings as much as I would like or believe I should. Being a litigation associate and father of two young children tends to limit one's time to go to weekday meetings. However, based on what I've heard, perhaps our own Town Council could benefit from adopting a Canadian ritual? How about the Councilor's Questioning Hour? Perhaps those councilors who represent the Main St. area could make themselves available at Dawson's or Lino's for questioning for an hour per week? How about Charlie Brown's on Saturday at noon? Perhaps those on the north and west end of Speedway could do likewise at Buffalo Wild Wings or McGilvery's?

Just a thought, or perhaps a dare to our councilors. How about it Council? Councilor's Questioning Hour? I think that this may go a long way to assuaging the discontent among many of the citizens who currently feel marginalized.

Again, just a thought.