Many on the left are getting all apoplectic over Republicans' promise and apparent real commitment to undo much of, if not repeal, Obamacare. Apparently they need to be reminded this is not just a one-sided conspiracy. In fact, most of what Obama and congressional Democrats have run on in recent years was repealing as much as possible of what Bush two had done.
Democrats, therefore, have no rational basis on which to raise a cry of 'unfair', eh? We need to be careful what we make of all this. While it's true that Democrats are at least as 'guilty' of doing such things as Republicans that doesn't mean we should just call it even as if there's nothing going on that needs to be addressed.
For the average American, I think the greater problem arising in this tit for tat approach to governing is the tendency for one party to spend too much of its time attempting to undo what the other party did its last time 'in power'. Where's room for real progress in that? Where does it leave room for things like balancing the budget? (We STILL don't have a federal budget that Dems were supposed to produce 6 months ago!) Aren't there other things more deserving of their attention than spending most of their time undoing previous legislation? How does that leave room for visionary things? How does that leave room the The People's normal business? Fact is, it doesn't and it makes many existing problems worse via neglect.
I know it can be boring but our governments were created to mind the 'normal business' of a nation in only fundamental areas of need. If you read the constitution, you'll find that most of what it says the federal government should be doing is pretty routine stuff. The household eqivalent of balancing the checkbook every month, taking out the trash, maintaining the yard, washing the car, etc. America's governments were never INTENDED to become powerful, full of themselves (individually and collectively) and expansive. That was NEVER intended to be their nature. Yet it has become so. Not good for The Republic I think. Hamilton et-al are thrashing in their graves no doubt!
I think all this attention on undoing what others have done is wrong for our country in many, many ways. Basically, they're moving away from The People's business to doing their own monkey business at The People's expense. They've become NEGLECTFUL of 'normal business' and we're seeing the consequences of that. What happens when you neglect producing a budget? YOU SPEND TOO MUCH, RIGHT? Isn't that what we citizens do if we don't watch the budget? What our country REALLY NEEDS is for these yahoos to stop this back and forth nonsense. Thing is, the back and forth stuff is just the consequence of the real cause. It's the root cause we need to recognize and FIX.
The real problem lies, I think, in the tendency of both parties to attempt to govern with as little participation by the other party as possible. If one party legislates in near exclusion of participation by the other party, it is completely natural (but unfortunate!) of the other party to want to get in its two cents whenever it can muster enough power. The consequences of doing things unilaterally is that it CONDEMNS the country to suffer the next congress spending time undoing stuff they didn't like from the previous congress. Let's see. There are two ways of legislating. The party in power can do things unilaterally which WILL result in the other party wasting a LOT of time undoing what they don't like. OR the party in power can invite full and fair participation by the minority party with the goal of creating legislation they can BOTH live with in the future. Which approach takes the least time in the end? Which approach will likely cost the least? Which approach allows more time to do 'normal' housekeeping such as creating a stinking budget? Which approach will result in more energy devoted to solving problems than in criticizing and campaigning on what the other party screwed up?
Another really bad consequence of agenda-driven legislation that's rammed through is that they don't really stop to assess what is the will of The People! It was clear that the Democratic party had no interest in finding out what The People thought about the health care legislation. They treated Americans as ignorant and incapable of understanding it. Fact is, most of the Democrats didn't understand it either. In fact, Pelosi famously said "We have to pass the health care bill so we can find out what's in it." HUH? Would YOU run YOUR life that way? Do something BIG before examining it very closely and waiting until the consequences hit to find out what you screwed up? Would you really? Of course not! So why on God's green earth is it okay for congressmen to do that?
Another consequence of tit for tat legislating is that it polarizes The People on issues and platforms that keep looking backward rather than forward. Look at all the energy spent on revisiting legislation haphazardly done. In the media. Among citizens. Among congressmen. Among/by special interests.
Don't get me going on special interests. Democrats go on and on about congressional Republicans catering to their special intersts AS IF Democrats don't do that. C'mon! Is there ANY doubt they both cater MORE to their special interests than to the will of The People? Honestly? Who cares which party does it more! They BOTH do it wayyyyyy too much! Special interests have more power than The People. That is NOT RIGHT! We need to take our republic back from ALL special interests! Those in congress probably won't listen to us until we do.
The Founders INTENDED for BOTH PARTIES to have their interests represented in legislation reasonably consistent with what The People want. All legislation should have the interests of BOTH parties' constituents represented within it to an extent approximately consistent with their percentages in congress.
This is, after all, a REPUBLIC, not a Democracy. At least it was created that way and the constitution was written consistent with that objective. In fact, Hamilton and others called on future majority parties to be responsible including the opposition party(s) in the creation of all legislation. They SAID that a REPUBLIC form of government REQUIRES that.
Seems to me that if our representatives adhered to that caution, legislation would have both parties' interests represented FAIRLY ENOUGH IN ITS FIRST(!) ITERATION that subsequent congresses and presidents wouldn't spend most of their time in office trying to undo what the other party did the last time they had the most power.
One very troubling problem that's resulting from this back and forth nonsense is that the party currently in power will try various means to gain more power for itself. (Senate Democrats are trying to do just that via revisions in the filibuster process.) That is SO contrary to the spirit of the constitution and a republican form of government! When the parties become more focused on their agenda than on cooperative progress regarding The People's business, The People lose. We WILL lose financially. We WILL lose security. We WILL lose our freedoms because 'the state' thinks it knows best in spite of what the majority of Americans want ... in spite of what worked pretty well for the first 200 years!
We need them to spend ALL their time maintaining the country and working together in an honest fashion on those things needing correction or (minimal) new/different regulation. Their job should be LARGELY ROUTINE if not mostly boring... just as most of the things are that we do as responsible citizens. We do our jobs like the people who hired us want us to do them. We go home and do mostly routine things there as well. We take care of boring but basic and important stuff like balancing our budget, ensuring the kids get three squares and a good education, keeping the house and yard orderly and clean/neat. We walk the dog and empty the trash. We are obliged by our heritage to live responsibly; responsible to ourselves, our family and our community ... not to live lives of dependency on others and CERTAINLY NOT on handouts from a 'benevolent government'.
To Congress: Stop this nonsense and work together cooperatively to do the people's business and, by doing so, faithfully execute your duties as you swore(!) to do in your oath of office! DO LEGISLATION RIGHT THE FIRST TIME (ie, cooperatively). Or doesn't your word and your oath mean anything any more?
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