Congressional Dysfunction

   Ben Franklin once said, “We have given you a republic, only if you can keep it.” What he meant by that is that we need to do our job as citizens of this country by watching our government to make sure it is doing what is in the best interest of the country and not a select few who hold powerful positions. This is the essence in which the founding fathers gave birth to our nation. They formed a strong central government to govern the people to help protect them, to help them prosper. The founding fathers made a government not to be factious, but to lead the nation forward. Today in congress the governing process that the founding fathers envisioned does not exist. Partisanship, polarization and self political interests are undermining the normal system of government that has existed in the United States for centuries. To govern means to lead, not to bring to a halt. If the United States wants to remain that “shining city on the hill” it has to govern in the way the founding fathers envisioned and that is to actually govern.

     Since the mid 1970’s, American politics has shifted to the extremes in both ideologies. Increased polarization and an unwillingness to compromise has put America’s full faith and credit at jeopardy. It has put the symbol of American democracy at jeopardy. As a result of this, some Americans feel unrepresented in government. It probably makes them angry, but to fix the problem they, we, need to do something about it. In today’s congress there is little hope that they will pass any piece of major legislation to help move our country forward, such as immigration reform, or a revision of the tax code. How can we keep in power a governing body that does not govern, but sits on our tax dollars while we as the American people suffer?  During these tough times and on these difficult days, it is time to ask the question as to what kind of nation that we really are and what direction we as a country want to move in. We are left with two choices. We can go in the direction we are currently heading and gain greater partisanship and polarization, or we can go in the opposite direction where we function as a country and listen and compromise with one another to get things done. The later is the direction we need to go so we can keep our nation the shining sun that sets over the horizon every day.  

     We can do well in this country, but we have to make an effort to understand one another. What we need is not division, not hatred or fear, but love, wisdom and compassion for one another. This means that the brinksmanship in congress must end. Today’s congress has dishonored the sitting in the place of power we call Congress. Their actions are contempt of all sane virtue in this country and it cannot be tolerated. Congress today has become like a bunch of mercenary puppets bowing to the thought and sight of big money interests and they seem to have lost their soul for moral understanding and reasoning. This is factious and rebellious against the nation and its sanity. As citizens of this country we cannot tolerate it.

     This last debt ceiling self inflicted crisis is not the end of political brinksmanship, or political partisanship so we need to get people into our government who actually are willing to govern. The vast majority of people in this country want to work together and solve problems and improve the quality of our lives, which leaves the question; why cannot congress do the same?

     It is time to change our ways in this country as to how we govern if we want to remain, as Ronald Regan once said, “the shining city on the hill.” It is time we use sanity over hatred and it is time to think with our minds and not with our hearts. The ancient Greeks once said that to tame the savageness of man opens up the gentle kindness of this world and all of its beauty. We should all take a lesson from them.