Washington Government is broken. Everyone — even those limited to a single firing brain synapse — knows as much. But, what to do about it?
Washington scribe Ezra Klein offers “The 13 reasons Washington is failing,” on The Washington Post’s “Wonkblog.”
First on Klein’s list? Earmarks. Really. Yes, the little pork-barrel items stuffed into bills without any debate or serious consideration to boost an incumbent politician by a million or a billion dollars here or there. Klein blames the GOP House for banning earmarks.
“It used to be that Boehner could ask a member to take a tough vote and, in return, help him or her get a bridge built back home,” explains Ezra. “That bargaining chip is gone.”
Our political system desperately needs it back, so we can put the genie back in the Klein bottle. Congressional leaders simply must be able to keep your representative on the take.
But that’s not all. Government is also too transparent, or, as Ezra puts it, “Too much sunshine can burn.”
Sure, effective political bridge-trading needs to be done behind closed doors. Away from the prying eyes of pesky voters.
Klein goes on to lament that, “Big business has lost a lot of its power over the Republican Party.” That’s a problem. Really. Progressives are nonplussed.
And Klein argues “The Republican Party has become particularly extreme” and “Ted Cruz (and others like him) has gained a lot of power over the Republican Party,” before informing readers: “There is no ‘Republican Party.’”
All of which — obviously and unquestionably — explains why Big Government cannot give us nice things. Or so says one insiders’ outsider.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
5 replies on “Broken Fix”
I am stunned by Klein’s deductions! All I can say is, he is an out of touch BONEHEAD.
On a daily basis the media hammers us with tales of “far right extremists”, “tea bag Republicans”, and “Racist Conservatives”. Curiously we never hear about the Marxist/ Communists masquerading as “Progressives” whose true goal is destruction of the American Republic. This is most probably due to the fact that most media luminaries are indoctrinated in totalitarian leftist philosophy. These evil-mined hypocrites conceal their real objectives by unfairly smearing those who seek to uphold the liberties we inherited form those who created and defended them.
I agree with the above comments and would bring in another observation. Communitarian thought is really the prevalent philosophy in the educational institutions and is unchallenged among many people who absorbed it “accidentally” while in public education institutions. Therefore the political and economic ideas are not refuted by many who cannot argue with the core concepts of communitarian ism. Ideas such as “for the greater good” we are all one, society or the majority must rule, we must allow this as it is for the common good, and most of all, don;t be selfish. This philosophy also plays in to super nationalism which conservatives are prone to support in some areas.
Isra Clown.
“Away from the prying eyes of pesky voters.”
Voters aren’t THAT pesky. After all, they reelect over ninety percent of all incumbents. The truly pesky are usually those who aren’t getting their ‘nice things’ from government. And now the GOP has caved on the debt ceiling.
Big business has “lost its power” over the GOP?
That’s a laugh! See how quickly they will vote to ‘reform’ illegal immigration and legalize lawbreaking. The Dems may want cheap votes but the GOP still wants cheap labor. Both will get their wish.