Before all the partisan bickering got under a full head of steam in the US Congress, there was compromise and a general forward movement. Rarely if at all was there an effort to go backwards unless the legislation was a total failure such as prohibition. But now legislation that has significant good qualities looks to be undone because the spirit of compromise has been lost.
We see it with selfish and immature young siblings as they fight over a toy shouting ‘Its Mine’. We also see it in nature when some species fight over sparse nesting materials, but we should not see this selfish behavior in what is the most respected forum in the US.
It seems the sacrificial legislation is the new US health care law. It is not perfect and will require some mid course adjustments, but the desire to revoke it completely and discard the positive aspects of the law is the signature of stagnation.
The desire to revoke this or any law that has positive qualities is simply self serving. Wanting for yourself and giving total disregard for others lacks the fundamental human quality of compassion, and that is a key behavior expected by the American people of their elected officials. We only see this behavior when a person is consumed with greed.
The most extreme example of this self serving behavior at present is seen in northern Mexico where the drug lords are racking up more toe tags in the area than any other place on the planet. To say that the US Congress has similarities with the Mexican drug lords is a shocking and disturbing revelation, but non the less they do exist. If you take a moment to analyze the two side by side, you will see more than one trait that matches.
The American people have tried to rectify this problem at the polls in November, but it would seem some politicians did not get the message, and the desire to revoke the health-care law still exists. In fact almost all legislation passed by partisan votes is up for revocation in one form or another. So all this fighting to undo legislation simply stops any forward motion the country may have had.
Unfortunately all this fighting will eventually lead to the US falling from its perch at the top of the list of good places allowing other countries to take the lead. It is not too far fetched that places like New Zealand be preferred simply because the focus on the people’s welfare remains the focus of the governing body.
The view of a typical New Zealander is they see there are some flaws in their government and each party clearly has differing views. Legislation that is generally negative is being addressed and forward adjustments are progressing as one would expect.
There is no perfection in any government, but governments that remember that they are the servants of the people are clearly better than governments that serve the special interests. Unfortunately, the American government has slipped below that minimum standard of late.
