Must halt dysfunction
Our nation once again is approaching a financial crisis because of Congress’ inability to pass a budget. This will impact defense, social programs, foreign policy and many other critical government functions. There certainly is disagreement between the two parties about how and how much money should be spent, but a bigger divide is the insane attempt to link budgetary agreements to partisan nonbudgetary issues such as immigration or foreign policy.
Many observers have noted that the slide toward dysfunction and polarization started when legislators stopped living in D.C. and rather began flying in at the latest possible moment and leaving at the earliest possible time, in many cases Monday morning to Wednesday afternoon. Not a lot of time to get business done. This has led to many legislators not knowing even members of their own party let alone members of the opposing party. This inevitably leads to an us-versus-them mentality. No wonder compromise is an obscene word in Washington.
Several years ago I read an interesting book, “The Parties Versus the People: How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans” by Mickey Edwards, a former Republican congressman from Oklahoma. He makes the point that it’s much harder to hate someone when you see them socially and your wife and children know each other. It may or may not be feasible to move families, but there are other measures we could try. As Mr. Edwards suggests, why do the parties sit in blocs on opposite sides of the chamber and, in the case of the House, even use different microphones? What would happen if seating were assigned randomly so Democrats and Republicans alternated? Imagine the possibilities if an ultraconservative Republican from Texas sat next to a progressive Democrat from California. They might find that they shared a number of things in common. There is plenty of opportunity for the parties to caucus outside their respective chambers.
We have to step outside the box and find new ways to do things or we are inexorably headed into a death spiral as a republic.
PHILLIP J. PETERS Little Rock