2 Political Parties

   Abraham Lincoln is known for the quote, “No one can fool all of the people all of the time.”  That fact is obviously why we have two political parties.  I am watching our US Senate hold confirmation hearings on the Biden nomination for a Supreme Court Justice, Katanji Brown Jackson.  My first reaction to the questioning by the Republican Senators was, “These men are racists!”  The subject matter of the questions seemed both unfair and irrelevant and pointed me toward that conclusion.  But I hadn’t thought it through.  These Republican Senators had little racist reaction in their confirmation hearings or votes on Clarence Thomas.  They wouldn’t even consider the appointment of Merrick Garland, a well-qualified, white, Democratic president’s nomination to the Court.  Their ill-conceived actions appear to be purely partisan.   Democratic Senators are more than capable of the same error.  Senators of both stripes act in the same manner and are equally ineffective in their outcomes.

   Our Senate is capable of rare bipartisan action.  They recently came together for an 85% approval of an annual military spending bill that was twenty billion dollars larger than the previous year and for a larger amount than the next ten military nations in our world, combined.  I know, I have mentioned this in a previous blog, but I think it bears repeating.  Our Senate is bipartisan when it comes to egregious military spending.  This is a problem for funding education, healthcare and infrastructure, some things that the citizens of the country benefit from.  The question becomes, what is required for the US Senate to come together in a non-partisan manner?  This question was answered by a very wise man, “A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.” - George Bernard Shaw.                                                                                                                                                   

 This short tour would indicate that our Senate is a poorly designed, ineffective legislative branch of government.  The Wyoming teacher is much better represented than the California teacher.  The Senate is not related to population.  It is the state itself that is equally represented with two senators, regardless of the state’s population.  This fact alone destroys the concept of one citizen, one vote (equal representation).  Can you fix the inherent problems of the Senate?  Yes!  Get rid of the US Senate.  Call the House the Legislature and go to 4 year terms for its members.  While you are on a roll … outlaw political parties (puppeteers), lobbyists (bribery organizations) and political action committees (more of the same).  What would be wrong with an honest functioning government?  Could we live with that?  

Cheers, Old Buz     3/23/2022

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