Sitting here in God’s Waiting Room and observing the failures in our government, a thought came floating in the window, “Where have all the good guys gone?” in our US Congress.
Where have those of us who worked together gone? Perhaps, we are all in God’s Waiting Room just watching the clock tick, and worrying about the world our kids and grandkids will have to live and work in.
What follows is an email in answer to that same question that I exchanged with my good friend, Senator Dennis DeConcini, a Democrat from Arizona.
Dennis let me bounce an idea off you. You, I, and others spent a reasonable amount of time in DC and then returned to the real world. On TV, I see Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle filled with hope for the future in which their children and grandchildren will live.
But nothing seems to change other than the escalation of hatred between the two parties. Why?
Old dinosaurs–professional politicians, I believe are the problem.
A little study will show that Congress has a little over a 30% turnover each election. Most who leave express extreme frustration with not being able to be heard or make any headway with issues they feel are essential to the country. Many are frustrated over the inability to provide their Districts and States with the public facilities needed or to repair those in place.
In my book Climbing Mountains with God, which is finally with the proofreading and editing lady, I use the experience of Democrat Peter Visclosky from Indiana to illustrate this issue. Pete and I were elected in 1984. We became good friends as did many in our class. People in our Class of ’84 saw each other as men or women interested in the future of our country. We had different ideas on how to form that future, which is why we were in Congress, to debate those different points of view and come up with answers that, many times, were better than each side of the debate's individual ideas.
Compromise is not a dirty word. Without it, we go nowhere.
Peter had a Federal Building in his District that was in bad disrepair. Even though his Democrat party had been in control of Congress since President Eisenhower, Pete could not get the necessary funds to repair this building.
In 1994, when Republicans finally won control of the House, Congressman Steny Hoyer (D) Maryland, and I switched roles, he became the Ranking Member and I was named Chairman of the Treasury, Postal and General Services (TPS) sub-committee on Appropriations. Dennis held the companion position on the Senate side.
I traveled to Indiana to see, in person, if Peter’s request was appropriate. It was! Old rattling air conditioners hung from the windows, and some of the restrooms were unusable due to dramatic plumbing failures. Offices were crowded with workers, some forced into sharing a desk. In short, OSHA would never have let a private company occupy the structure.
I put Peter’s request in the TPS bill that passed the House and Senate, and Dennis and I met and worked out the required Reconciliation Agreement. Dennis accepted the project as legitimate and needed. The Bill was sent to President Clinton for his signature.
The Bill came back with Peter’s project removed.
One of my staff members, Bill Deere, was given the responsibility of finding a way to incorporate Pete's request into the bill without drawing the attention of the White House during the second time the Bill was being sent back for the President's signature. I explicitly instructed Bill to ensure that his methodology was legal and compliant with the Constitution and House rules, without disclosing the details to me. I am pleased to report that he successfully accomplished the task.
After the President signed the bill on the second trip to the White House, it was voted on by the House and Senate and passed into law. As a result, Congressman Peter Visclosky was able to secure a new Federal Building, providing a safe workplace for many Federal Employees who serve the private citizens visiting the structure.
Peter's request, which was important to him, was not fulfilled during his 10-year tenure in Congress due to the influence of the experienced and controlling members (old dinosaurs) who have been in office for decades. It is a well-known fact that many of these individuals, regardless of their political affiliation, have been in office for 20, 30, or even 40 years. Unfortunately, Peter was not able to establish himself as a Dinosaur Club member during his short time in Congress.
I believe that the reason for the rise of more radical elements in our National Political Systems is due to the Old Dinosaurs who continue to age yet remain in office. Instead of governing, they are becoming more focused on retaining and gaining power.
Politics has always been a rough and tumble business, but now it has become a system of “take no prisoners and win at any cost, even if that means destroying the opponent’s reputation”. Issues do not count today. It is all about power. The good guys are gone.
I believe many young people with great ideas for the country are willing to step up and serve. The problem; they get elected and then are neutered by the Old Dinosaurs drunk on power and not governing as laid out in the Constitution.
Dennis and I worked together. Steny and I worked together. We became friends, not enemies.
How do we get back to those days when the government worked for America first?