The case for a balance of amateurs and the experienced

As this New York Times column shows, there's a case to be had for experience in our government, which is a notion not altogether prized by today's populist crowds. While we'd like to think that we want to elect the nearest person to represent the citizens' wishes, this column reveals that our Founding Fathers not only had a good deal of experience but also put in safeguards (unusual for their time) to ensure that experience would remain. Getting rid of bad politicians is great, and being accurately represented is desirable, but having qualified, experienced politicians is an objective worth looking into.