Debt discussions continue in Washington D.C. The left and the right battle each other with little common ground. The right offers solutions that will punish and politically damage the President while the left insists upon protecting “sacred cow” programs.
They continue to sit at the same table and negotiate with each other with no results. If your business were dealing with this situation, you would have to resolve it.
Hey folks, pay attention. The government is our business. It is our taxes and our representatives making the decision. Last I checked, we do still live in a democracy.
However, that democracy is clearly challenged at this point. One of the most basic and primary tenets of a democracy is competition. Yet, we have few “swing” districts left in the United States Congress.
The redistricting process over the last few decades has essentially eliminated bi-partisan competition. Consider the Members of Congress from Texas. There are virtually no seats that will be truly competitive in the general election. All campaign battles will be fought out in the primaries.
Some will say that is competition. A tough primary battle is competitive. No question but primaries are “family feuds”. In the case of American politics, they have become battles for who can be the farthest right or left. With small percentages of voters casting ballots in the primaries, the most extreme and passionate viewpoints determine the victor.
It is true that there are districts that will have candidates from both parties. However, most of these districts are designed to specifically elect one party or the other and the opposition candidate is just tilting at windmills.
How can we possibly expect to have rational discussions by our leaders when they are focused on re-election and answerable to the most extreme voters for their victories?
We cannot. To repeat a famous quote from former President Grover Cleveland, “We the people will get the government we deserve, be it good or bad.”
I don’t like our government currently. How about you?