Thread: NC General Assembly No Better Than Congress

General Assembly No Better Than Congress
by Rep. John M. Blust
August 21, 2008

"The American people live under the illusion that we have a United States Senate. The facts show that the Senate is realistically dysfunctional. It is on life support, perhaps even moribund," said Sen. Arlen Specter on the Senate floor recently after a heavy-handed tactic was employed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Democrat–Nevada) to prevent amendments to a bill.

While millions of Americans are facing economic hardship from $4 a gallon gas, congressional leaders have refused allow the United States Senate and House of Representatives to discuss or debate measures to address this issue. Energy isn't the only area in which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat–California) and Reid have refused to let the Congress act. This Congress has passed fewer bills than any Congress in over 20 years. The fiscal year ends on August 31 and Congress has not yet passed a single appropriations bill. While Americans grapple with record energy prices that sap the family budget, and with no federal budget anywhere in sight, Pelosi and Reid sent Congress on a five-week vacation. Approval numbers for the 110th Congress are the lowest in history.

Pelosi's 8th District of California consists of only 114 square miles in downtown San Francisco, where the people can walk or take mass transit. Perhaps Speaker Pelosi's constituents don't care about $4 gas. If Pelosi and Reid do not want to allow drilling for more oil where it can be feasibly done, they can certainly vote against it. But they should not be allowed to block any consideration by Congress of a critical national issue.

A large majority of Americans want their senators and congressmen to allow drilling for oil and natural gas and to allow more oil refineries and nuclear power plants to be built, in order to increase supply and lower the cost of energy. Pelosi and Reid are preventing the Congress from representing the interest of the people in more plentiful and cheaper energy. If majorities in Congress vote against more energy production after thorough debate, the voters can be the judge in the next election.

James Madison wrote of the legislative branch in Federalist Number 52: "As it is essential to liberty that the government in general should have a common interest with the people, so it is particularly essential that the branch of it under consideration should have an immediate dependence on, and an intimate sympathy with, the people. Frequent elections are unquestionably the only policy by which this dependence and sympathy can be effectually secured."

One can search Article I of he United States Constitution in vain for the provision that allows either the US House or the US Senate to be ruled by one person to the exclusion of those who represent all the other people. The founders of our republic set up the Congress as a representative and deliberative branch of government – not as the fiefdom of a powerful few who substitute their individual judgment for the will of the majority.

The North Carolina legislature has been operated over the last decade in much the same manner as the Congress. One person in the NC House and one in the NC Senate decide for every member what business will be discussed and what bills will be allowed to come up for a vote. The speaker of the house, who represents only 1/120th of the people of North Carolina, gets to decide for all the other 119 state House members. President pro tem of the Senate, who represents 1/50th of the people of North Carolina, gets to decide for the other 49 state senators. While it is easy to blame the speaker and the president pro tem for this undemocratic situation, the other members of the state house and state senate have allowed this corruptive and unacceptable situation to persist.

On issue after issue, the state legislature has failed to act on, or even discuss, important matters. These neglected issues include transportation needs, education, mental health, property rights, annexation, tax reform, budget reform, legislative process reform, tort reform, the death penalty, immigration, open government and on and on. The healthy functioning of the legislative branch of state government has been eviscerated.

Take transportation, for instance. Even with crumbling, sub-standard bridges and massive unfunded highway plans needed to curb heavy traffic congestion – congestion that causes an expensive waste of fuel and environmental damage, the legislature did absolutely nothing this last session. The present highway and bridge funding formula does not account for congestion nor prioritize projects where they are most critically needed. Projects are funded disproportionately in the areas represented by the powerful few. Then the powerful few suggest that projects in the more populated and congested areas should become toll projects.

Our Founding Fathers set up a constitutional system of government that has lasted more than two centuries and worked through civil war, depression, world wars, economic crises, natural disasters and other challenges. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story noted in his 1836 book A Familiar Exposition on The Constitution of the United States, "The structure has been erected by architects of consummate skill and fidelity; its foundations are solid; its compartments are beautiful, as well as useful; its arrangements are full of wisdom and order; its defenses are impregnable from without." Justice Story was writing about architects like Madison, Hamilton, Washington, Franklin and others. None of these giants sought to maximize his own power at the expense of the public. Where are these type of statesmen today?

Our legislative branches – the Congress and the state legislatures – are being destroyed by leaders who arrogate to themselves extraordinary powers over what were intended to be deliberative bodies – legislative bodies in which every citizen from every area was to be fairly represented. When control is seized by one or by a few, the legislative branch becomes a broken branch.

The rules of a legislature are supposed to insure a fair and orderly process that reflects the will of the body as a whole. Justice Story wrote in his book on the US Constitution, "Without rules, no public body can suitably perform its functions. If rules are made, they are mere nullities, unless the person or persons on whom they operate, can be compelled to obey them." This is the crisis that now faces the US Congress and the state legislatures.

Both the Congress and the state legislatures need changes to the rules of procedure that will disperse power and ensure a fair orderly process where all citizens can be effectively represented. Insuring the integrity and health of the legislative branch of government should be important to every citizen. This should be one subject that unites conservatives, liberals and everyone else across the political spectrum. Leaders of both political parties have been guilty of abusing power. Corruption has been rampant. We can have differences about what should be done on various issues, but as Americans, we should unite to preserve, protect and defend the constitutional institutions that safeguard our freedoms.

At both the national and state level, the people of this country need to elect representatives and senators committed to stopping the ongoing destruction of the legislative branch. The successful resolution of every issue facing this nation depends on enacting crucial reforms to repair the broken branch.
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Zeezil , I think the vast majority of Americans have become brainwashed over the years to the point that independent thought is almost non existent . Only until the last possible minute will they speak out and by then it will be too late . After all , to actually be involved in the change from old Congress to new Congress and or State legislatures would be to go against the grain and be informed voters instead of party puppets and that would require some time and effort which must be in short supply .

North Carolinians and all Americans should make this their theme song - "I'll Remember in November" by Steve Vaus: www.stevevaus.com/lyrics/rememberinnovember_nhc.html

Pelosi's 8th District of California consists of only 114 square miles in downtown San Francisco, where the people can walk or take mass transit. Perhaps Speaker Pelosi's constituents don't care about $4 gas. If Pelosi and Reid do not want to allow drilling for more oil where it can be feasibly done, they can certainly vote against it. But they should not be allowed to block any consideration by Congress of a critical national issue.

You got that right. She isn't even thinking of the Sonoma County residents and others that have to travel for EVERYTHING.