Politics, power rule our system

Generally, we believe the majority of Americans want issues addressed and problems solved by our elected representatives.

But there is more than enough evidence that is not happening now because of a broken legislative system -- politics and the quest for power rule.

This was never more evident than in all the recent posturing and voting on health care reform legislation in the U.S. Senate.

Here is what happened -- every single Republican senator was determined to vote against any and all potential bills; every single Democratic senator was determined that some bill, no matter its nature, would pass.

The reason? Politics, pure and simple.

It was an embarrassment to our nation that the 60-40 vote was TOTALLY along party lines. Earlier, only one Republican in the House voted in favor of that body's health reform measure. Sadly, that is the current state of the U.S. Congress today -- compromise and working together is no longer an option.

There was ample evidence over the past few months that any Republican Senator who even dared discuss health care reform with the Democrats would be severely punished by the party, including denial of specific committee assignments. Among those targeted in that manner were Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine.

There were early indications that those two, and perhaps a handful of other GOP senators, were willing to take part in compromise and negotiation. But the pressure tactics used against them worked and, in the end, it became a total party-line issue.

It took the Democrats several months to understand there would be NO assistance from their Republican colleagues in trying to achieve health care reform, so the only avenue was to find a way to secure all 58 Democratic votes, plus the two Independents who normally are part of the alliance.

It was at this point the other side of this unsavory spectacle unfolded.

To secure the full 60 votes, the Democrats began a series of "negotiations" to pull in wavering senators such as Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska. Some of the deals stink -- there is no other way to put it. The most egregious was the one offered to Sen. Nelson, in which the state of Nebraska receives additional federal assistance for Medicaid payments that could amount to more than $1 billion over 10 years.

Such is the state of our current legislative system. It is broken because of Senate rules that, as a practical matter, require 60 votes for passage of any meaningful legislation. While the filibuster has always played a role in the operation of the Senate, its use has skyrocketed in recent years. In the 1950s, there was an average of one filibuster a year. In the most recent Congress, there were 52 filibusters.

The result of the "deliberations" in the Senate was what might be called a "watered-down" health reform bill now being sent to conference committee. We will address some of the details of the bill at a later date -- and its potential impact on the typical American.

This started as a process in which a "public option" would be a major part of the legislation, but that went by the wayside in the Senate. Some supporters of health care reform are quick to point out that most progressive changes in society take place over a period of time -- starting with "baby steps" before eventually developing into more comprehensive programs.

Meanwhile, those opposed to universal health care and the single-payer system (which is NOT the same as "socialized medicine") and who claim the United States has the world's greatest system in place, should ask themselves this question -- are any of the other Western democracies (and their voters) clamoring for destruction of their supposedly inferior models in favor of one patterned after ours?

--REK