A thought provoking look at

[Guest]

American politics.

First a bit of background on the link....THE ECONOMIST is an international magazine that is respected world wide but gets criticism from both the left and the right. It is based in England and covers a multitude of subjects, and its not something you read to get validation of YOUR viewpoint, because you will be disappointed for sure.

This particular article is thought provoking, at minimum about the American system of government and I hope everyone takes the time to read it simply to look at things in a different manner.

A few tid bits from the article...

"Certainly the system looks dysfunctional. Although a Democratic president is in the White House and Democrats control both House and Senate, Mr Obama has been unable to enact health-care reform, a Democratic goal for many decades. His cap-and-trade bill to reduce carbon emissions has passed the House but languishes in the Senate. Now a bill to boost job-creation is stuck there as well. Nor is it just a question of a governing party failing to get its way. Washington seems incapable of fixing America’s deeper problems. Democrats and Republicans may disagree about climate change and health, but nobody thinks that America can ignore the federal deficit, already 10% of GDP and with a generation of baby-boomers just about to retire. Yet an attempt to set up a bipartisan deficit-reduction commission has recently collapsed—again.

This, argue the critics, is what happens when a mere 41 senators (in a 100-strong chamber) can filibuster a bill to death; when states like Wyoming (population: 500,000) have the same clout in the Senate as California (37m), so that senators representing less than 11% of the population can block bills; when, thanks to gerrymandering, many congressional seats are immune from competitive elections; when hateful bloggers and talk-radio hosts shoot down any hint of compromise; when a tide of lobbying cash corrupts everything. And this dysfunctionality matters far beyond America’s shores. A few years ago only Chinese bureaucrats dared suggest that Beijing’s autocratic system of government was superior. Nowadays there is no shortage of leaders from emerging countries, or even prominent American businesspeople, who privately sing the praises of a system that can make decisions swiftly.

We disagree. Washington has its faults, some of which could easily be fixed. But much of the current fuss forgets the purpose of American government; and it lets current politicians (Mr Obama in particular) off the hook."

It then goes through all the bills that have passed DESPITE folks saying that nothing can get through congress...mentions TARP, the Stimulus bill, and a long list of lesser bills !

This particular part struck me as thought provoking at minimum !

"America’s political structure was designed to make legislation at the federal level difficult, not easy. Its founders believed that a country the size of America is best governed locally, not nationally. True to this picture, several states have pushed forward with health-care reform. The Senate, much ridiculed for antique practices like the filibuster and the cloture vote, was expressly designed as a “cooling” chamber, where bills might indeed die unless they commanded broad support."

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15545983&source=hptextfeature

An interesting viewpoint to me anyway and thought would share !!

[Guest]

Thanks for sharing that with us. It's a pretty good perspective on things...but it ignores one major point: the tendency or inclination by the out-of-power party lately to obstruct rather than govern. While obstructing may gain 'points' with its core constituency, it abrogates its responsibility to govern. Congress is not participating in governing.
As low as the president's approval ratings may be, Congress -- especially the Senate -- can hardly brag about its standings...they're way lower.
I maintain that the country is not divided and dysfunctional -- it is the gerrymandered/my-district-is-safe crowd who are pawns to the special interests. Special interests include a whole raft of folks, from pharma to health insurance to defense contractors to Wall Street to realtors and countless others.
Who is representing those of us who voted them into office?

[Guest]

Thanks for sharing that with us. It's a pretty good perspective on things...but it ignores one major point: the tendency or inclination by the out-of-power party lately to obstruct rather than govern. While obstructing may gain 'points' with its core constituency, it abrogates its responsibility to govern. Congress is not participating in governing.
As low as the president's approval ratings may be, Congress -- especially the Senate -- can hardly brag about its standings...they're way lower.
I maintain that the country is not divided and dysfunctional -- it is the gerrymandered/my-district-is-safe crowd who are pawns to the special interests. Special interests include a whole raft of folks, from pharma to health insurance to defense contractors to Wall Street to realtors and countless others.
Who is representing those of us who voted them into office?


You surely make some good points SARATOGA...and I agree with some of your reasoning.

Two things go through my mind and thus a simple gut reaction is that your point about the out of power party is correct, however we seem to keep being pulled to the extreme, right or left, and thus need someone to keep us from going too far...just an observation. Plus this from the article..

" Rather than regretting how the Republicans in Congress have behaved, Mr Obama should look harder at his own use of his presidential power.

Secondly, as I read that article I thought that maybe our FEDERAL GOVERNMENT is having problems getting things done because they shouldnt be doing them or at least all of them. Maybe we have become so dependent on WASH to "give" us what we need, instead of allowing the state government to do some of the heavy lifting.

I realize that the state cant do many things, but I see a push for a health bill that according to polls, the pubic does not want..and will stop there just as one example of spinning wheels in a different direction than the electorate seem to want. This kind of thing is costly, time wasting and allows more important things to simply sit.

Just a thought......and I ask again...when do we ever have a Presidential news conference ! I think it important to face the press !

[Guest]

I think the whole country feels safe when congress is on recess.

[Guest]

With all the partisan bickering going on, I wish I remembered where I recently read the following line:

It doesn't matter if they are a Democrat or a Republican if they have forgotten that they are AMERICANS first and foremost.

[Guest]

With all the partisan bickering going on, I wish I remembered where I recently read the following line:

It doesn't matter if they are a Democrat or a Republican if they have forgotten that they are AMERICANS first and foremost.


That line you repeated is 100% totally dead on correct !

I posted the article NOT as a partisan thought but what I thought was an interesting take on what happens in Washington....it is an angle I had never thought of before !

Recently on Meet The Press they replayed a show showing both party leaders sitting on the show actually discussing what they agreed on on how they may come to some sort of compromise...sorry do not recall who it was but it was refreshing !

This scenario that we have in Washington is particulary scary...the perfect storm if you will. Republicans hell bent on putting distance between the spending of the Bush administration and Democrats who are trying to push as much of the left wing agenda as they can and, in my opinion, leaning a bit too far left.

I will be the first to admit that it is both parties, despite my expressed feelings on this administration !