Government has far toomany rules.
Time and again, the intricacies of the way our nation runs itself and its institutions disturb and perplex me. It has bureaucracies that consistently seem to exist to merely make my life difficult and by-laws in place that slow down the will of the voting public.
In November, Republicans were elected in record numbers to the Senate, to the House of Representatives and to our nation's statehouses. They were elected because the voters of this country wanted fundamental change. The voters had had enough of liberal democratic policies that seemed to reward the members of our society who never worked and criminals who deserved to be punished.
The Republican "Contract with America" provided voters with a tangible choice for new government, and in electing a Republican majority in the Senate and an even larger Republican majority in the House, voters sent a message that new government was they wanted.
One of the benchmarks of the GOP's "Contract with America" that was incredibly popular with voters and that has been pressed by Republicans for years is the Balanced Budget Amendment. It is an effort to rein in federal spending and decrease the deficit by mandating balanced budgets by law. Republicans, if given a majority in Congress, promised to pass the Balanced Budget Amendment within the first 100 days of the new session.
Unfortunately, a lone Democratic Senator from West Virginia has decided to use an arcane rule to slow the change and progress for which the American people voted.
That Senator is Robert Byrd, formerly the President Pro-Temp of the Senate when it was under Democratic leadership. Senator Byrd has recently used a little known parliamentary rule that forces committees to adjourn after two hours of meeting time when the Senate is in session. Applying this rule, Byrd forced the Senate Judiciary Committee to adjourn on Tuesday and prevented the Balanced Budget Amendment from going to the Senate floor.
These type of actions are reprehensible in good government. Byrd, who may be opposed to the amendment for legitimate reasons (he feels it is unconstitutional), is nevertheless acting childish in his manner of opposition. Again, a rule -- a regulation -- has been used to create an atmosphere where legislative action can be stymied.
Senator Bob Dole has referred to Byrd's actions as "Byrd-lock." Through his actions, Byrd has not only locked up the Balanced Budget Amendment, but more importantly, he has locked up the will of the American electorate.
