Solution Stew - The U.S. Congress

THIS BEING HUMP DAY, I was looking for ingredients for this week's "Solution Stew"; a situation requiring a solution, preferrably one not connected with the federal government. Originally leaning towards offering my always stellar *cough* picks for the NCAA Tournament which begins on tomorrow, I was stopped in my tracks.

Yesterday afternoon, I read, sadly, that the Democratic Leadership, pushed to the brink by a non-cooperative, equally non-representative Republican House and Senate members, had delved into the depths of parlamentary procedure and discovered a way to pass the Healthcare Reform bill without even having to cast a vote. We'll get into the details in a moment, but for now let me say, as I have been saying to Republicans (at least the obstructionist buffoons among them) that the process is far more important than the outcome, and if all you can do is find little hidden tricks and subvertive measures to get things your way, then you should all be sumarily dismissed, replaced, and allow the Nation to continue as it was meant to.

OK...here's what happened. Some stories racing through the Internet have implied that there would not be a vote.

This is true in the sense that there would not be a DIRECT vote. But the health-care bill would be voted on INDIRECTLY, tucked into what's known as "the rule." The rule essentially outlines the rules for an upcoming vote -- in this case, it would be the vote on the package of reconciliation fixes.

By passing "the rule," the House also would "deem" the Senate bill passed (with a "hereby" statement. "We hereby deem..."). The House would then vote on the package of reconciliation fixes. But the Senate health-care bill would be considered passed even if they never vote on the reconciliation fixes.

The "rule" can be written several different ways to include passage of the Senate bill. Though no decisions have been made -- including whether or not the rule will be used -- there are two scenarios most often discussed, according to a Democratic aide knee-deep in the process.

Scenario No. 1: The Senate bill is deemed passed with the passage of the House Rule for debate. So once the House passed the rules for debating the reconciliation package, the Senate bill could immediately be sent to president for his signature.

Scenario No. 2: The Senate bill is deemed passed with the House's passage of the reconciliation bill. Since the vote on "the rule" happens before the vote on reconciliation, this would delay the bill being sent to Obama.

Under any scenario, the aide says, the bill must be signed by the president before the Senate takes up the reconciliation.

Now, there is a great deal more that could be said, a great many more points offered in support or opposition to this process. But for me, it ends here because the healthcare issue has now become secondary to what members of the House and Senate on both sides of the aisle have done, and continue to do, that would be far more harmful to our Nation than having to pay for the poor to receive access to adequate healthcare insurance.

Members of both parties are engaged, albeit for reasons they each believe righteous and good, in subverting not only the letter of the Constitution, but also the core principle on which this Republic was founded: honest, sincere representation of their constituency; the citizens of the United States of America.

And that is not something you mess with.

History
"Deem and Pass" has been used often and by both parties. Democrats point out that Republicans used it quite a bit in the 1990s for tax cuts for the wealthy and already profitable corporations, as well as for numerous lots of corporate welfare, a reduction of oversight for the financial sector, and little things like warrantless wiretaps and exemptions for certain companies to do business with countries like Iran, where such allowances were made a federal crime by the same Congress just months prior. In this Congress, Democrats used "Deem and Pass" for raising the debt ceiling, which was tucked into the PayGo bill. So both sides have played this card, and no one is blameless.

But once again, it is the incessant hunger for power, the inability to give and take for the good of all, and the unfortunate need of those in power to acquiesce to those interests who can and will fund their next campaigns, that has led us to the point where our representative government, of either fashion or flavor, in reality, no longer exists.

Yes, this country desperately needs and should be wholly embarassed for not having an optimal healthcare system that is accessible to every one of its citizens.

Yes, the elected officials who have been saddled with the daunting task of finding a way, the best way, to make this a reality have some tough decisions to make and yes, some of those decisions will put their congressional seats in jeopardy, because they will not be popular.

So what?

As per the Constitution, those representatives are required, by law, to represent the people in their Districts or States and vote in the light of what is in the best interests of ALL whom they represent.

Not just of those who agree with them.

Not just those who will vote for them in the next election.

Not just those who will donate funds for their next election.

And certainly NOT for their party.

The solution? It's a two parter, and quite simple really...

First: Each one of you reading this, pass it on to everyone you know. And as soon as you do that, send a letter to your Congressperson and to your Senators and explain to them what you believe is the right thing to do. Explain to them that you are embarassed by the manner in which their body has performed (or not) thus far and regardless of what the eventual outcome on this issue is, that if you see one hint of further political subterfuge and games being played and that if they do not start acting honorably, in the manner of our Founding Fathers, that come the next time their name is on the ballot, they will not receive your vote.

Second: Follow through. Regardless of how this ends up, if your elected representatives don't pull their collective heads out and start acting with the proper intent and motivation, they should become 535 added to the millions of unemployed they helped create the next time election day rolls around.

Oh and by the way...if you don't follow this procedure, or in some way let your elected officials know they are going to be held accountable for their actions...then please, and with all due respect...sit down and shut up.

Because this is no longer about healthcare reform, or about progressive vs. conservative.

This has now become about the preservation and sanctity of the foundation of our nation. This is about protecting that one unique element that makes America...well, America. This is now about maintaining a representative form of government, where We The People actually means something.

And if you're going to be silent now, you have no right to complain later.