I couldn't watch it live, but I read the synopsis, which was annoying enough, due to all the attitudes and arguing and sound and fury signifying absolutely nothing. Link below. But first, CNN's Broken Government Series contains some shocking revelations about the current state of disrepair in our democracy. A majority of Americans feel democracy is broken. No wonder. Watch the video and let your blood pressure soar.
Isn't it ironic that politicians are voting for or supporting legislation in committee then filibustering it on the Senate floor? Republicans even filibustered deficit reduction reform. Seriously. Since Obama took office, Republicans have filibustered 80 percent of major proposed legislation. The spin is anything to keep Obama from a political victory, no matter what the issue. From a historical occurence of one filibuster a decade to almost 80 percent this year, it makes no sense at all. No matter what political party you favor, this is wrong. For the record, I don't favor either, as I tend toward libertarian and disgusted these days. And I don't care who started it anymore. It's just a travesty, a sad colossal social failure.
I've listened to regular people debate how much blame to assign to Obama for the current state of the economy and lack of progress in the past year, and I've have to point out which year the economy crashed and ask what they would have him do. The Senate is sitting on 290 pieces of legislation passed in the house. 290. The list includes healthcare reform; climate change; food safety; financial aid for the U.S. Postal Service; a job security act for wounded veterans; a Civil War battlefield preservation act; vision care for children; the naming of a federal courthouse in Iowa after former Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa); a National Historic Park named for President Jimmy Carter; a bill to improve absentee ballot voting; a bill to improve cybersecurity; and the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
Some crucial, some not so much. I think this would be a great time to table the historic renaming function of government and focus on big things. But. Progress can't happen if our branches of government are in gridlock and engaged in tribal political feuds. I don't know anymore. Nothing is easy and nothing is making sense. I just don't know.
CNN's Health Care summit synopsis includes this quotable from VP Joe Biden:
He also says after being in Washington for 37 years, he's "reluctant ... to tell people what the American people think."
"I think it requires a little bit of humility to be able to know what the American people think, and I don't. I can't swear I do. I know what I think. I think I know what they think, but I'm not sure what they think," he says.
What do you think? Hell I just hope people are thinking in the first place.
I think it's sickening.
ReplyDeleteI think it is hard time to throw out the rascals by the seat of their pants. The taxpayers pay their salaries not to stand in the way but to clear the way. I don't care if they are republicans or democrats. We were tap dancing at the edge of the cliff for eight years and now I think we forgot that unless we backpedal really fast, all we have left is the cliff.
ReplyDeleteFunny. I just told someone in an e-mail that I did not like another person because she does not "think." Could we all just stop and THINK? No. It would appear that we can not.
ReplyDeleteARRRGGGHHHH!
Thinking (in Washington) is a scary thing. I'd rather my politicians didn't think and just did what *I* told them to do!
ReplyDeletePeople are more interested in "winning" than actually, you, know, accomplishing something (aka winning).
ReplyDeleteI makes me want to move into a yurt and live on berries and roots.
We are a society trained to react. Thinking is not necessary nor is it advised. Follow the bouncing fear ball.
ReplyDelete