In Search of Wise Elder Statesmen (Or Statespersons)
Guy T. Sturino
November 17, 2005
If there was one mandatory obligation for each registered voter, it should be that each is required to watch a minimum of five hours of Congress per week on Cspan. After sixty-two years of believing everything I was taught in civics class about how our representative government works, I have had an awakening as rude as my first morning of Marine boot camp.
Since retiring three years ago I have been watching our congress in action. I don’t watch every day, but more than often enough to know that the rules of the party now in power make a shambles of the democratic process and the constitution.
Article I. Section 5. Paragraph 2 of the Constitution states, “Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member.” Accordingly, since the majority party has sufficient votes to pass any rule it may choose, what rules are enacted are entirely dependant upon the sensibilities of its members as to how much power they choose to take unto themselves.
The two houses of Congress are so biased in favor of the majority that the voices of the representatives of 46% of the country have been all but stifled. Who can present Bills, who can offer amendments, whether amendments can be voted on individually or must be considered en mass, how long a vote will be held open, – all of these plus other limiting procedures under the control of one party make the democratic principle of one person one vote essentially mute. Well, actually everyone does get to vote, but only one side has the power to say what gets voted on.
Over the past nine years, following a promise to their constituents and the nation to rid the congress of the abuse of power, the leaders of the Grand Old Party have proved to be at least as abusive as any majority party in the past, if not more so. Unruly drunk with nearly absolute power, the GOP is destroying the very thing they profess to value – our democracy.
They are, however, shoring up what they truly value – rampant and unfettered capitalism, which chews up and spits out workers, ignores the unemployed, and generally treats anyone without ‘capital’ as little more than implements for their personal use. And, being truly bottom line oriented, they take no interest in maintaining their ‘equipment’.
Sound harsh doesn’t it? Well it is. A New York Times editorial on November 15 summed it up this way.
“Some of the cruel and unnecessary cuts the moderates are fighting include the following:
12 billion in Medicaid cuts that would invite states to levy health care co-payments and workfare increases on the poor while dropping preventive medical care for children.
14 billion from the underpinnings of some of the most vital student aid and loan programs.
4 billion from efforts to enforce child support - a successful program with a four-to-one return on investment, and rooted, it should be noted, in the family-values agenda invoked by conservatives.
844 million in food stamp cuts, knocking close to 300,000 working poor and legal immigrants from the program.
The elimination of day care subsidies for an estimated 330,000 children of the working poor.”
Like I said, chew ‘em up and spit ‘em out. Even though each and every person elected to Congress takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, a majority today are more than willing to disregard the part that says “promote the general welfare,” and at the same time give large and unnecessary tax breaks to corporations and the ultra rich.
What has been done by Congress in the past five years is sad, but the fact that they can do it is mind boggling. Understanding today how the rules of Congress are determined, and seeing how the rules are used to silence and neuter the minority leaves me with a feeling of disgust. Not disgust for what has happened, but rather for the men and women who are so immature and self centered as to not care about anything but what is good for them today.
After I saw what to look for, a cursory review of history showed that both parties have proven themselves too immature to use majority power wisely. At this point, unfortunately, it would take an amendment to the Constitution to include rules of procedure for Congress in order to take that power away from them. The only alternative is to elect mature individuals to represent us. A good start would be to recognize that anyone who has to put someone else down in order to make themselves look taller is probably not mature enough for the job – House, Senate or President
Leaders don’t always take us where we think we should go. Bad leaders tell us to shut-up and get in line. Good leaders explain why they have taken a different path. Great leaders convince us before we start out, and invite our help getting there. We actually do have a lot of great leaders already – in both Houses and on both sides on the aisle, just not enough. Some have been silenced or made impotent by the rules and some by their own party. It is only the electorate that can increase the number of great leaders. But to do so, the electorate needs to be educated, and get past its own problems with single and selfish issues for the benefit of all.
I have railed against the press for what it has become in the past several years, but the press is our only hope. The American public needs to hear, see and read about what our Senators and Congresspersons are doing on a daily basis. The public needs to be made aware of what our representatives are saying to each other on the floor of their respective chambers. They need to know what is being voted on and who is taking what positions. What is fact and what is pure wind need to be sorted out by sincere journalists who take pride in knowing that the truth is the key to our collective futures. A lot of journalists have turned to the web to get the message out because the corporate media are not so inclined -- but this isn’t enough.
When I have said in the past that I stopped watching corporate media I got a lot of responses such as, “but we have to know what they are saying.” Not true. If what they are saying is not truthful we don’t need it. Further, if we quit tuning in to the shows and quit buying the fish wrappers, their own self interest will make things change. It’s the way of Capitalism.
Then, when the public sees what absolute power is doing to those they elected in good faith to represent their interests, just maybe, together, we will elect a better class of leaders.
Our fate, and the fate of the nation, is in our hands.
Post Script: The vote on the Bill discussed above was held this afternoon, and thankfully 22 representatives crossed the aisle to vote with the entire minority to defeat HR 3010. Unfortunately, my representative, Thelma Drake, was not one of those who helped defeat it. Was yours? Here’s the list of those who voted for the bill. (it’s a shorter list - less typing) Check it out and remember.
Aderholt, Akin, Alexander, Bachus, Baker, Barrett (SC), Bartlett (MD), Barton (TX), Bass, Beauprez, Biggert, Bilirakis, Bishop (UT), Blackburn, Blunt, Boehlert, Boehner, Bonilla, Bonner, Bono, Boozman, Boustany, Bradley (NH), Brady (TX), Brown (SC), Brown-Waite Ginny, Burgess, Burton (IN), Buyer, Calvert, Camp, Cannon, Cantor, Capito, Carter, Chabot, Chocola, Coble, Cole(OK), Conaway, Crenshaw, Cubin, Culberson, Cunningham, Davis (KY), Davis - Jo Ann, Davis - Tom, Deal (GA), DeLay, Dent, Diaz-Balart - L, Diaz-Balart - M, Doolittle, Drake, Dreier, Duncan, Ehlers, English (PA), Everett, Feeney, Ferguson, Flake, Foley, Forbes, Fortenberry, Fossella, Foxx, Franks (AZ), Frelinghuysen, Gallegly, Garrett (NJ), Gilchrest, Gillmor, Gingrey, Gohmert, Goode, Goodlatte, Granger, Graves, Green (WI), Gutknecht, Hall, Harris, Hart, Hastert, Hastings (WA), Hayes Hayworth, Hefley, Hensarling Herger, Hobson, Hoekstra, Hostettler, Hulshof, Hunter, Hyde, Inglis (SC), Issa, Istook, Jenkins, Jindal, Johnson (IL), Johnson - Sam, Jones, (NC), Keller, Kelly, Kennedy (MN), King (IA), King (NY), LaHood, Latham, LaTourette, Lewis (CA), Lewis (KY), Linder, LoBiondo, Lucas, Lungren - Daniel E., Mack, Manzullo, Marchant, McCaul (TX), McCotter, McCrery, McHenry, McHugh, McKeon, McMorris, Mica, Miller (FL), Miller (MI), Miller - Gary, Musgrave, Myrick, Neugebauer, Ney, Northup, Norwood, Nussle, Osborne, Oxley, Pearce, Pence, Peterson (PA), Petri Pitts, Poe, Pombo, Porter, Price (GA), Pryce (OH), Putnam, Radanovich, Regula, Rehberg, Reichert, Reynolds, Rogers (KY), Rogers (MI), Rohrabacher, Ros-Lehintinen, Royce, Ryan (WI), Ryun (KS), Saxton, Schmidt, Schwarz (MI), Sensenbrenner, Sessions, Shadegg, Shaw, Shays, Sherwood, Shimkus, Shuster, Simpson, Smith (NJ), Smith (TX), Sodrel, souder, Sullivan, Sweeney, Tancredo, Taylor (NC), Terry, Thornberry, Tiahrt, Tiberi, Turner, Upton, Walden (OR), Walsh, Wamp, Weldon (FL), Weldon (PA), Weller, Westmoreland, Whitfield, Wicker, Wilson (SC), Wolf, Young (AK), Young (FL)
Since retiring three years ago I have been watching our congress in action. I don’t watch every day, but more than often enough to know that the rules of the party now in power make a shambles of the democratic process and the constitution.
Article I. Section 5. Paragraph 2 of the Constitution states, “Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member.” Accordingly, since the majority party has sufficient votes to pass any rule it may choose, what rules are enacted are entirely dependant upon the sensibilities of its members as to how much power they choose to take unto themselves.
The two houses of Congress are so biased in favor of the majority that the voices of the representatives of 46% of the country have been all but stifled. Who can present Bills, who can offer amendments, whether amendments can be voted on individually or must be considered en mass, how long a vote will be held open, – all of these plus other limiting procedures under the control of one party make the democratic principle of one person one vote essentially mute. Well, actually everyone does get to vote, but only one side has the power to say what gets voted on.
Over the past nine years, following a promise to their constituents and the nation to rid the congress of the abuse of power, the leaders of the Grand Old Party have proved to be at least as abusive as any majority party in the past, if not more so. Unruly drunk with nearly absolute power, the GOP is destroying the very thing they profess to value – our democracy.
They are, however, shoring up what they truly value – rampant and unfettered capitalism, which chews up and spits out workers, ignores the unemployed, and generally treats anyone without ‘capital’ as little more than implements for their personal use. And, being truly bottom line oriented, they take no interest in maintaining their ‘equipment’.
Sound harsh doesn’t it? Well it is. A New York Times editorial on November 15 summed it up this way.
“Some of the cruel and unnecessary cuts the moderates are fighting include the following:
12 billion in Medicaid cuts that would invite states to levy health care co-payments and workfare increases on the poor while dropping preventive medical care for children.
14 billion from the underpinnings of some of the most vital student aid and loan programs.
4 billion from efforts to enforce child support - a successful program with a four-to-one return on investment, and rooted, it should be noted, in the family-values agenda invoked by conservatives.
844 million in food stamp cuts, knocking close to 300,000 working poor and legal immigrants from the program.
The elimination of day care subsidies for an estimated 330,000 children of the working poor.”
Like I said, chew ‘em up and spit ‘em out. Even though each and every person elected to Congress takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, a majority today are more than willing to disregard the part that says “promote the general welfare,” and at the same time give large and unnecessary tax breaks to corporations and the ultra rich.
What has been done by Congress in the past five years is sad, but the fact that they can do it is mind boggling. Understanding today how the rules of Congress are determined, and seeing how the rules are used to silence and neuter the minority leaves me with a feeling of disgust. Not disgust for what has happened, but rather for the men and women who are so immature and self centered as to not care about anything but what is good for them today.
After I saw what to look for, a cursory review of history showed that both parties have proven themselves too immature to use majority power wisely. At this point, unfortunately, it would take an amendment to the Constitution to include rules of procedure for Congress in order to take that power away from them. The only alternative is to elect mature individuals to represent us. A good start would be to recognize that anyone who has to put someone else down in order to make themselves look taller is probably not mature enough for the job – House, Senate or President
Leaders don’t always take us where we think we should go. Bad leaders tell us to shut-up and get in line. Good leaders explain why they have taken a different path. Great leaders convince us before we start out, and invite our help getting there. We actually do have a lot of great leaders already – in both Houses and on both sides on the aisle, just not enough. Some have been silenced or made impotent by the rules and some by their own party. It is only the electorate that can increase the number of great leaders. But to do so, the electorate needs to be educated, and get past its own problems with single and selfish issues for the benefit of all.
I have railed against the press for what it has become in the past several years, but the press is our only hope. The American public needs to hear, see and read about what our Senators and Congresspersons are doing on a daily basis. The public needs to be made aware of what our representatives are saying to each other on the floor of their respective chambers. They need to know what is being voted on and who is taking what positions. What is fact and what is pure wind need to be sorted out by sincere journalists who take pride in knowing that the truth is the key to our collective futures. A lot of journalists have turned to the web to get the message out because the corporate media are not so inclined -- but this isn’t enough.
When I have said in the past that I stopped watching corporate media I got a lot of responses such as, “but we have to know what they are saying.” Not true. If what they are saying is not truthful we don’t need it. Further, if we quit tuning in to the shows and quit buying the fish wrappers, their own self interest will make things change. It’s the way of Capitalism.
Then, when the public sees what absolute power is doing to those they elected in good faith to represent their interests, just maybe, together, we will elect a better class of leaders.
Our fate, and the fate of the nation, is in our hands.
Post Script: The vote on the Bill discussed above was held this afternoon, and thankfully 22 representatives crossed the aisle to vote with the entire minority to defeat HR 3010. Unfortunately, my representative, Thelma Drake, was not one of those who helped defeat it. Was yours? Here’s the list of those who voted for the bill. (it’s a shorter list - less typing) Check it out and remember.
Aderholt, Akin, Alexander, Bachus, Baker, Barrett (SC), Bartlett (MD), Barton (TX), Bass, Beauprez, Biggert, Bilirakis, Bishop (UT), Blackburn, Blunt, Boehlert, Boehner, Bonilla, Bonner, Bono, Boozman, Boustany, Bradley (NH), Brady (TX), Brown (SC), Brown-Waite Ginny, Burgess, Burton (IN), Buyer, Calvert, Camp, Cannon, Cantor, Capito, Carter, Chabot, Chocola, Coble, Cole(OK), Conaway, Crenshaw, Cubin, Culberson, Cunningham, Davis (KY), Davis - Jo Ann, Davis - Tom, Deal (GA), DeLay, Dent, Diaz-Balart - L, Diaz-Balart - M, Doolittle, Drake, Dreier, Duncan, Ehlers, English (PA), Everett, Feeney, Ferguson, Flake, Foley, Forbes, Fortenberry, Fossella, Foxx, Franks (AZ), Frelinghuysen, Gallegly, Garrett (NJ), Gilchrest, Gillmor, Gingrey, Gohmert, Goode, Goodlatte, Granger, Graves, Green (WI), Gutknecht, Hall, Harris, Hart, Hastert, Hastings (WA), Hayes Hayworth, Hefley, Hensarling Herger, Hobson, Hoekstra, Hostettler, Hulshof, Hunter, Hyde, Inglis (SC), Issa, Istook, Jenkins, Jindal, Johnson (IL), Johnson - Sam, Jones, (NC), Keller, Kelly, Kennedy (MN), King (IA), King (NY), LaHood, Latham, LaTourette, Lewis (CA), Lewis (KY), Linder, LoBiondo, Lucas, Lungren - Daniel E., Mack, Manzullo, Marchant, McCaul (TX), McCotter, McCrery, McHenry, McHugh, McKeon, McMorris, Mica, Miller (FL), Miller (MI), Miller - Gary, Musgrave, Myrick, Neugebauer, Ney, Northup, Norwood, Nussle, Osborne, Oxley, Pearce, Pence, Peterson (PA), Petri Pitts, Poe, Pombo, Porter, Price (GA), Pryce (OH), Putnam, Radanovich, Regula, Rehberg, Reichert, Reynolds, Rogers (KY), Rogers (MI), Rohrabacher, Ros-Lehintinen, Royce, Ryan (WI), Ryun (KS), Saxton, Schmidt, Schwarz (MI), Sensenbrenner, Sessions, Shadegg, Shaw, Shays, Sherwood, Shimkus, Shuster, Simpson, Smith (NJ), Smith (TX), Sodrel, souder, Sullivan, Sweeney, Tancredo, Taylor (NC), Terry, Thornberry, Tiahrt, Tiberi, Turner, Upton, Walden (OR), Walsh, Wamp, Weldon (FL), Weldon (PA), Weller, Westmoreland, Whitfield, Wicker, Wilson (SC), Wolf, Young (AK), Young (FL)
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