Partisanship fosters gridlock, hurts country

Denise Honeycutt, Columnist
Published On: 10/ 6/2008

The political parties have finally found something they can agree on this election year: America is in the middle of an economic crisis that needs their immediate attention.

During the past few weeks, I’ve heard a lot about how much the resolution to the economic crisis had to be a bipartisan effort. Democrats and Republicans showed up in Washington to discuss a $700 billion bill that President Bush urged them to pass.

I heard numerous reports about how members of Congress were working through the weekend to try to find a solution to the crisis. The end result was that the President’s bill did not pass and it was back to the drawing board.
As this process continued, I found myself wondering if Congress is actually all that effective. If they can’t seem to agree on how to solve this very critical economic problem, how many issues and bills have fallen to the wayside because of their inability to work together?

When both political parties said how important it was that they find a solution for America’s economic crisis, I was hopeful. I did not expect both parties to walk into a room and solve the issue immediately, and I also hoped that they wouldn’t rush into a decision that would end up hurting Americans even more down the line.

When members of Congress voted down the bill that President Bush had put before them, I was not disappointed. The bill was not voted down by only Democrats or only Republicans. I hoped that this meant that both parties were really thinking about what was best for America.

However, as time went on, the blame game began to pick up speed. Of course, both sides were already pointing fingers, but I wondered how the parties planned to work together, or would even find the time to work together if they were dedicating so much time to avoiding taking any responsibility for this economic crisis?

I’ve heard both presidential candidates say they would work with members of both parties in order to solve many of the issues concerning Americans, if they are elected.

I think, in large part, this claim was made because the candidates realize that many Americans are beginning to get really tired of feeling like nothing is being done by their elected officials.

There have been so many important bills put before Congress over the years that have not passed because so many members of Congress voted with their respective party, or were unable to make compromises with the opposing party.
Both candidates have been accused of using the economic crisis for political gain, and I actually think this is accurate. In part, I think they both felt they needed to go to Washington and at least appear to be a part of trying to find a solution for the economic crisis, so that they could claim that they were a part of a bipartisan effort.

The political parties continue to make such a big deal about making it known to the public that both parties were working together to solve this economic problem, that it seemed as if it was something unfamiliar to them. Shouldn’t they have been doing this all along?

I think sometimes politicians forget who they are supposed to be working for, and they don’t make decisions that are in the best interest of the people they are elected to represent.

How long have they worked on health-care issues, or Social Security? How many times has it been requested that the United States fund research for alternative fuel sources?

I know many issues that are still before Congress have been debated for years. There were health care bills and alternative fuel discussions in the early ’90s.

If memory serves me correctly, there were even bills brought to Congress concerning these issues that were not passed.

I don’t want to hear candidates or parties blame each other for whatever issues are plaguing Americans, I want to know how they plan to change things, and I want them to make compromises if they need to in order to be effective in their jobs.

I personally think that we all have a part in many of the crises we are dealing with in America.

Many Americans are responsible because they vote for people who they believe will work for their best interest but don’t hold them accountable when they don’t do this. Members of Congress are responsible because they don’t often seem to be working for the people.

Their egos, perhaps, get too big at times, and they put their own interests before what is best for the American people and this country.

There are so many crises that we are dealing with today, from fuel costs to problems with the financial system, that could have been avoided if enough people were paying attention and doing something to change things.

I hope that the American people will learn something from what we are going through now because politicians won’t change and won’t be truly effective until they are held accountable for their actions — or inaction — by the people who are responsible for putting them in office.

Email: honey_deni@hotmail.com