Politics has often been called the art of compromise. However, far right legislators in the House and the Senate have decided that ideology matters more than anything else. Sen. Tommy Tuberville has blocked military promotions because he does not want the military to allow female servicepeople to have access to abortions, which has affected the country’s military readiness. Sen. J.D. Vance has blocked all nominations to the Justice Department because he opposes its inquiries into former Pres. Donald Trump’s alleged involvement in the January 6 riots and because he thinks the Justice Department is protecting Hunter Biden.
A larger group of House Republicans is holding the country hostage by blocking negotiations on the 2024 federal budget. They view themselves as protectors of working class American values. They want the IRS to shrink. They demand the cessation of support for the defense of Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression. They want impeachment hearings on President Biden. Perhaps most important, they want to reduce government spending on social programs.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, who is himself a Republican, has accused these legislators of wanting to “burn the whole place down.” Instead of working with people within their own party, they would rather try to get the government to bend to their will rather than work for a common good–unless you agree that their views actually represent a “common good,” which would put you in a statistical minority.
I suppose at the very least, their actions resurrect one of the oldest political questions: what, precisely, do we want a government to do?
The goal of a republic is to represent the will of the people, not themselves. When politicians so blatantly defy the will of the people and halt necessary rights, they should be stopped. When politicians are not representing the government does not function as it was intended to. We want the government to expand our freedoms as much as possible not manipulate them for power.
I do not know much about politics, and I cringe at time when I thought I did. The way I view is like a balancing act between the Republicans and Democrats. I want to learn more about politics before I can come to a clear stance about what I believe, so for now I just try to stay open minded. I suppose that government should meet our basic needs without becoming too controlling, but there are so many ways that people interpret that. As for the current divisions in the Republican party, I just wish that leaders could discuss their differences and come to a solution that would benefit the people. Maybe that is what’s happening, maybe that’s an oversimplification of a really complicated problem, I don’t know, I just hope the right thing is done in the end, because in the end hoping is all that I can really do (other than vote).
I believe that above all a government should represent the interests of its people. The work of the far-right legislators in the Senate and the House is a testament to how our government has failed to do so. A few officials had the ability to impose their will, held by a minority of the population, and negatively affect the whole of the US. I wonder how such people came into power, and more so, how they maintained their power. I find it disappointing that such people are in office and will likely continue to hold power.
I was not very educated on government before taking the time to really learn about it on my own time. I can’t possibly know everything about a topic so I will be ignorant to some details. I am also bias in every sense of government because that’s just what the government was built on. My bias has been built upon everyday since I was born with how I was raised in my home. It’s hard to pass such a bill, there are so many different groups coming together that it’s hard for the majority to agree with such a change.
The size of the government should be drastically reduced. Most politicians are completely useless and do not help the country in any way. Instead of attempting to reach compromises, they spend their time in the office confronting members of the opposite party on irrelevant topics. They are not interested in helping the country, they just care about wealth and about being re-elected. The political class should be reduced drastically.
A smaller government can also operate with greater efficiency and responsiveness. With fewer bureaucratic layers, decision-making can be made much faster, all while saving money for taxpayers.
A government should protect its people. Compromise is not always the answer since in some cases, such as slavery or voting rights, there is no such thing as compromise. The government should make decisions that are rational and reasonable for everyone rather than the minority. If a decision does not negatively impact someone, except maybe for their ego, it should not be so fervently fight against.