Emolument and "Mr Speaker"

One thing that has struck me about the current GOP lineup - the titles. "Mr Speaker" (even though he was Speaker of the House for a few years, over a decade ago); "Mr Governor", even though he's not been governor for a long time. (Heck, even Sarah Palin gets "Governor" And she didn't even bother to finish her term!) I've seen some hesitation over "Senator" with Rick Santorum, but I think that's because people aren't really sure if you're granted that title for life or not.

Why do they carry these titles for life? It seems to go against the "Emolument Clause" (Wikipedia is my friend...). It seems to me that it's creating a new nobility; a class of titled persons, separate from everyone else. I suspect that's not what the Founding Fathers were aiming for! Even the "Mr President" thing; in office, fine. Out of office? You're not president, you're an individual.

It seems to me that politicians grab, and retain, the titles for the age old reason: power and prestige. An anachronism, like the Electoral College, that probably should be done away with.

Newt also collects a $76,000 government pension. Just thought I'd mention that. :-)

Carolyn Ann