The Forgotten Land
The obstacle before us today is not a ballooning
budget deficit or a domestic economic
crisis, but is politics. Pure and simple.
By Gerald W. McEntee
On paper, these are the good days.
The economy is strong, and growing at a robust rate. Welfare rolls are sharply down, as is violent crime. The federal budget — once $290 billion in the hole — is actually $70 billion in the black.
Given these great accomplishments, it’s no wonder that close to three-quarters of Americans think things are going well for the country. Yet, despite these good times, no one—inside or outside Washington — is humming, “Happy Days are Here Again.”
The problem, as we know, has nothing to do with the nation’s progress and everything to do with politics. When the U.S. House of Representatives acted against the will of the American people and forged ahead with impeachment of the President, an “us” versus “them” chill settled in Washington, dividing those who were elected from those who elected them. The government “of the people, by the people and for the people” had ignored the people.
It’s hard for me to recall a time in recent history when politicians so blatantly disregarded the will of the people. The November elections sent a clear message that the American people wanted Congress to proceed down a path other than impeachment.
Several national polls conducted at the end of January showed that six out of 10 Americans disapproved of the way right-wing conservatives in Congress handled the impeachment proceedings. Only three out of 10 approved.
Clearly, the men and women of this country aren’t saying that the president shouldn’t be held accountable for his actions. He most certainly should. We just want a suitable punishment — one that doesn’t divert the country and its leaders from the issues that make a difference in their lives.
We want laws in place to cut down on the red tape and mounds of paperwork required by health maintenance organizations. We want to know that the Social Security checks that we have counted on for retirement will be deposited in our bank accounts every month. And we want to know that those families who have not benefited from this nation’s great prosperity will not be forgotten.
We can accomplish these things — and more. For we are indeed at a special time in our country’s history. Obstacles such as the daunting federal budget deficit that once stood before us are no longer in our way. Working together, our nation’s leaders can pursue legislation to improve not only our lives, but the lives of our children and grandchildren. Political ideology may keep us from making sweeping changes in every area, but we certainly can make significant progress.
The obstacle before us today is not a ballooning budget deficit or a domestic economic crisis, but is politics. Pure and simple.
Now, I don’t think it comes as a surprise to anyone that politicians in Washington sometimes get caught up in partisan squabbles or have a tough time extricating themselves from the game of “gotcha.” But never before has it come at such a high price.
We, as a nation, have seen millions of dollars spent investigating the personal failings of a man. We also watched as a long-time public servant delivered an emotional speech in which he announced that because of his own transgressions he had to give up his dream of becoming speaker of the House. And we have watched the entire U.S. Senate — and the chief justice of the United States — turn their attention to a matter that has absolutely no relevance to the lives of most Americans.
Our elected lawmakers must somehow get the message that the way to win lasting political points is to return to the business of the people. We cannot allow ourselves to be lulled and dulled into complacency.
The 1.3 million members of AFSCME have a reputation for calling on Congress to do the right thing. Brothers and sisters, we must now use our collective might to call on the men and women we have elected and urge them to once again turn their attention to the issues.
