Ideas Please, Not Mindless Babble

If the vitriolic political ads in the DC area are a harbinger of the quality of discussion that we can look forward to after the new congress is sworn in, then the state of democracy in America is in a whole lot worse shape than I previously believed. The pre-pubescent manner in which federal office-seekers are conducting themselves is extraordinary – and both sides of the aisle, from the xenophobic nativists on the right, to the economically illiterate protectionists on the left, are shameless partakers. I really can’t take it anymore, it is making me insane. Eleanor Roosevelt said it best when she said “Small minds discuss people, average minds discuss events, and great minds discuss ideas.” It seems these days that the people who we have entrusted to run the business of the nation spend the majority of their time discussing the first two. Something has left them bereft of ideas.

According to The Economist, the number of hours Congress spent sitting in 2006 is the lowest in sixty years. How can our elected representatives wrap their heads around the incredibly complex issues that are facing our country today when they are never at work? Issues such as energy dependence (Bill Frist’s proposed giving drivers $100), immigration (Sensenbrenner wants to find and deport 10 million people), and our declining competitiveness in education. These issues, and many others, require people to sit down and ensure that everybody’s mutual interests are met. Yet, lawmakers continually placate the fringes of their party, while ignoring what Richard Nixon once aptly described as the “silent majority” – i.e., the middle class. The issues that need to be tackled cannot be solved by ten-second sound bites and mindless talking points on why so-and-so’s plan is unpalatable. They are solved by people sitting in a room together and making tough decisions through compromise. Lawmakers could to themselves a big favor and pass legislation mandating that they be forced to spend more time with people from the other party. Maybe, just maybe, they will come to realize they are more alike than different. They should probably exclude Rick Santorum and Nancy Pelosi, though. I can’t imagine it would be easy to relate to people who are so dogmatic and uninspiring.

I’m not a public policy expert, but it is clear that the money needs to come out of the electoral process. Politicians are spending far too much time and energy making sure they scratch the backs of the people who helped them get into office. Earmark spending has increased ten-fold in the last ten years. The lack of oversight and open debate in the way money is allocated is unfortunate. Lawmakers need to open this process up, which means, and this may shock them, that they need to spend a little bit more time working, and less time raising money.

The problems confronting us are large and not going away. So please dispense with the scare mongering, partisan mud-slinging, and tarrying on important reforms that need to be passed. Our country needs you to lead.