Lock Them Out

In the first days of January 2013, the 113^th U.S. Congress began its turn as the legislative branch of our government.  224 years of tradition precede this session, a track record of great accomplishments, notable failures, and embarrassing mediocrity in between.  Congress has been a forum for great uplifting rhetoric and frightening demagoguery.  It has exemplified the best that is America as well as our worst pettiness, vindictiveness and prejudices.  But what it has always been is contentious.  A battleground for the clash of ideas, at times running leftward on the progressive side of change, at other times moving to the right to slow or reverse those changes.  It has continually alternated among America’s major vested groups, with allegiance to party or interest group (and their money) usually trumping decisions of conscience or the truly national interest.  But somehow collective decisions have been made that have directed the country and kept it moving.

Given that history, what should we presume to expect from this 113^th Congress?  Its predecessor, the 112^th from 2011-2012, gives us more discouragement than hope.  It is already rated by historians as the least productive ever, with a continual inability to make almost any decision unless under a financial gun.  Even then the decision was usually simply to not decide or to postpone until later.  It left Americans discouraged if not outraged, awarding it the lowest Congressional approval rating in history.  It also apparently set the stage for a repetition.

First impressions matter.  In the first days of its new session, the 113^th Congress allowed the country to go over its “fiscal cliff” before quickly restoring tax cuts for 99% of Americans, while leaving some benefit cuts and a payroll tax increase in place.  They continued to dawdle on emergency relief for Hurricane Sandy victims for almost 90 days after the destructive event until public outrage enabled passage – with 2/3rds of House Republicans dissenting.  A month later, the Senate confirmed John Kerry as Secretary of State.  But then, only two weeks after agreeing to limit its use of the filibuster – especially regarding presidential appointments – Republicans dishonestly broke their promise and filibustered Chuck Hagel’s nomination as Secretary of Defense for what was finally admitted to be nothing more than “political revenge.”

Then they packed up and went on a week’s vacation, apparently exhausted from six weeks of non-accomplishment.  They left two weeks before an automatic budget cut of around $1T is to go into effect.  Cuts that we will likely survive, but will puncture job growth and economic recovery – two goals all Congresspersons claim that they want.  For this remarkable display of non-concern, hypocrisy and irresponsibility, these national representatives are paid a base salary of $174,000/year.  Except for the big donor individuals, corporations and interest groups on the left and right whose political puppets are doing exactly as they are expected, do any of the rest of us feel that we are getting our money’s worth for this very expensive non-performance?

These impending “sequester” cuts were supposed to be a doomsday device adopted in August 2011 that would be so universally onerous to all constituencies and interest groups that Congress and the President would be forced to intervene and make rational decisions about out budget future.  Except that apparently irrationality is well beyond rational expectations, for it appears that doomsday will now occur as scheduled on March 1^st.  To be followed three weeks later by a government shutdown because of the lack of an operating budget – even though we are already six months into the current fiscal year.

If a corporate CEO went this long without a financial plan, or proposed an across-the-board cut of this proportional magnitude, as the response to a financial shortfall, that person would likely be fired immediately for lack of imagination and an informed and effective strategy.  Only a managerial idiot proposes that kind of solution for an ailing company.  Everyday American families have shown far greater sensibility and accomplishment in dealing with their financial reversals during the past five years.  Most of them do not make anywhere close to $174,000.

There has been a symbolic proposal to suspend Congressional pay until Congress actually accomplishes its job.  At this point, Americans are justified in going a few steps beyond that action.  Someone needs to walk the halls of Congress and spray glue into all the locks to keep Congresspersons out of their offices.  Let them stay on vacation for a whole lot longer, given that they are doing far more damage when in session than tucked away back home where we can keep an eye on them and keep them out of further trouble.

Then let’s rescind Article 1 of the Constitution – the section that created Congress in the first place.  If a less than 10% job performance rating from their “employer” is not sufficient cause to fire these government workers, I do not know what is.  As America’s stockholders and Board of Directors, let’s just elect a President we believe is capable, let him/her do the job, and be fired if they do not get it done.  It is a perfect business model – and “run government like a business” has been a mantra by many (business) people for years now.

Except that many of us still believe that American democracy has not run its final course quite yet.  But the current players and supporting institutions have well exceeded their welcome.  As Jesus had to restore the sacredness of the Temple Mount by chasing out its corruptors, we need to similarly restore the honor of our Capitol by locking out the ineffectual and self-serving.  It is time to: replace this current bunch across the board regardless of their record and past allegiances; ban political parties as being un-American and unacknowledged by the Constitution; expose all hidden political funding and interactions between politicians and their interest groups; let each man or woman willing to offer public service have an equal shot at it; and then limit their time in office against the “career politician.”  As any good turnaround specialist knows, after a certain point many old players and mechanisms just cannot be turned around and made newly functional.

Yes, pretty crazy ideas.  And they will not happen.  But the responsible Middle American center who still remembers their history and civics lessons needs to take charge once again.  Our American Constitution is still sound.  It is We the People who have failed it.  We need a wholly new set of re-Founding Fathers and Mothers to discipline this unruly child, restore ethical maturity, and set us on the right course once again.