Curtis Harris
The Lords and Ladies of America
By Curtis Harris
In the 17th and 18th centuries, groups of people left Europe to establish new lives in North America. They were escaping from various forms of persecution and the lack of opportunity for good lives. They left the ruling classes of Europe, those Lords and Ladies that oppressed them, behind. Their descendents established a government of the people, by the people, and for the people in the United States of America. America's founding fathers' clear intention was to make sure a class of privileged and unaccountable rulers did not hold power in America. They made one error.
Today, the members of the United States Congress enjoy the privileges of power and are, as a practical matter, unaccountable to the people of this country. With few exceptions, they stay in office as long as they wish. The senior members of the Senate and the House of Representatives control everything that does, or does not, happen in the Congress. Their political interests are their primary concern as they tax, regulate, and spend. After 9/11, they used the threats to the physical security of this country as political opportunities for additional unnecessary spending in their districts and states.
Now, the senior members of the Congress delay action on and make unnecessary changes to the President's tax reduction legislation. That legislation is designed to invigorate America's economy. Their purpose is to protect the federal government from fiscal accountability while they establish positions for the next election cycle. The senior members of the Senate and the House of Representatives have become the Lords and Ladies of America.
Seniority in the two bodies looks like this (including the current term):
The results, or lack thereof, produced by the Congress are not significantly affected by the junior members for two reasons. First, they do not set the rules or hold the committee positions that are necessary to wield power within the Congress. Second, in today's political climate, most junior members of the Congress aspire to become career members, and so are more likely to follow the lead of senior members and wait for their turn in power.
The National Taxpayer Union (NTU) is a non-partisan advocacy group for American taxpayers. NTU rankings of the members of Congress are based on every roll call vote affecting fiscal policy. The ranks for the 2002 session ranged from lows of 8% and 13% in the Senate and House, respectively, to highs of 82% and 88%. The distributions of the ranks are interesting. The Democrats' ranks cluster around 20% and the Republicans around 60%. Given the parties' political philosophies, the Democrats' rankings are not surprising. They are in Washington to tax, spend, and regulate. Given the Republicans' opposite political philosophy, one would expect to see their ranks cluster around 80%. Their actual cluster around 60% illustrates the erosion of the senior Republicans' political philosophy as they make the transition from citizen to long-term Washington politician.
As another example, the Republican Party took control of both houses of Congress in the '94 elections, ending over four decades of control by entrenched Democrats. The 1995 session of the Congress received the highest ratings in the 25 year history of the NTU rankings—57% in the Senate and 58% in the House. In 1988, those numbers were 28% and 27%, respectively. Since 1995, the ratings have eroded. In 2002, they were 40% in the Senate and 41% in the House. In spite of almost continuous Republican control, 1995's reforms have faded as those new members gained seniority and became part of the Washington scene.
The results of elections also illustrate the problem. In the House of Representatives, 13% of candidates ran unopposed in the 2002 elections. Their hold on power was so strong that no one from another party bothered to challenge them. Most elections to open seats were competitive. First-term members of the Congress received an average of 55% of the votes cast in 2002. That number was somewhat skewed to the high side by both parties' gerrymandering of House districts to favor one major party over the other. Members running for their second term in the Congress received 65% of votes cast. For 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7+ terms, the percents received were 67, 66, 68, 68, and 69, respectively. Pollsters and pundits consider margins of 3% (i.e. 52% to 49%) to be significant. A member of Congress receiving 65% of the vote in a two-way race has a 30% margin, making the election itself meaningless.
The cliché "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" applies to the United States Congress. The power of incumbency combined with the long-term exposure to the politics and influences of Washington corrupts the members of Congress and turns them into the Lords and Ladies of America—entrenched in their power and unaccountable to the American people.
Fortunately, the Congress cannot take a lead role in America's foreign policy. That responsibility is the President's. However, the Congress can take a lead role in the nation's domestic and fiscal policies. Here are five critical issues facing America:
Beyond the ballot box, there is no control on these Lords and Ladies of America. Judging from the behavior of American voters (and non-voters), there is no control at all. The founders' error, omitting term-limits from the United States Constitution, may be the undoing of this country.
© Curtis Harris
In the 17th and 18th centuries, groups of people left Europe to establish new lives in North America. They were escaping from various forms of persecution and the lack of opportunity for good lives. They left the ruling classes of Europe, those Lords and Ladies that oppressed them, behind. Their descendents established a government of the people, by the people, and for the people in the United States of America. America's founding fathers' clear intention was to make sure a class of privileged and unaccountable rulers did not hold power in America. They made one error.
Today, the members of the United States Congress enjoy the privileges of power and are, as a practical matter, unaccountable to the people of this country. With few exceptions, they stay in office as long as they wish. The senior members of the Senate and the House of Representatives control everything that does, or does not, happen in the Congress. Their political interests are their primary concern as they tax, regulate, and spend. After 9/11, they used the threats to the physical security of this country as political opportunities for additional unnecessary spending in their districts and states.
Now, the senior members of the Congress delay action on and make unnecessary changes to the President's tax reduction legislation. That legislation is designed to invigorate America's economy. Their purpose is to protect the federal government from fiscal accountability while they establish positions for the next election cycle. The senior members of the Senate and the House of Representatives have become the Lords and Ladies of America.
Seniority in the two bodies looks like this (including the current term):
|
The results, or lack thereof, produced by the Congress are not significantly affected by the junior members for two reasons. First, they do not set the rules or hold the committee positions that are necessary to wield power within the Congress. Second, in today's political climate, most junior members of the Congress aspire to become career members, and so are more likely to follow the lead of senior members and wait for their turn in power.
The National Taxpayer Union (NTU) is a non-partisan advocacy group for American taxpayers. NTU rankings of the members of Congress are based on every roll call vote affecting fiscal policy. The ranks for the 2002 session ranged from lows of 8% and 13% in the Senate and House, respectively, to highs of 82% and 88%. The distributions of the ranks are interesting. The Democrats' ranks cluster around 20% and the Republicans around 60%. Given the parties' political philosophies, the Democrats' rankings are not surprising. They are in Washington to tax, spend, and regulate. Given the Republicans' opposite political philosophy, one would expect to see their ranks cluster around 80%. Their actual cluster around 60% illustrates the erosion of the senior Republicans' political philosophy as they make the transition from citizen to long-term Washington politician.
As another example, the Republican Party took control of both houses of Congress in the '94 elections, ending over four decades of control by entrenched Democrats. The 1995 session of the Congress received the highest ratings in the 25 year history of the NTU rankings—57% in the Senate and 58% in the House. In 1988, those numbers were 28% and 27%, respectively. Since 1995, the ratings have eroded. In 2002, they were 40% in the Senate and 41% in the House. In spite of almost continuous Republican control, 1995's reforms have faded as those new members gained seniority and became part of the Washington scene.
The results of elections also illustrate the problem. In the House of Representatives, 13% of candidates ran unopposed in the 2002 elections. Their hold on power was so strong that no one from another party bothered to challenge them. Most elections to open seats were competitive. First-term members of the Congress received an average of 55% of the votes cast in 2002. That number was somewhat skewed to the high side by both parties' gerrymandering of House districts to favor one major party over the other. Members running for their second term in the Congress received 65% of votes cast. For 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7+ terms, the percents received were 67, 66, 68, 68, and 69, respectively. Pollsters and pundits consider margins of 3% (i.e. 52% to 49%) to be significant. A member of Congress receiving 65% of the vote in a two-way race has a 30% margin, making the election itself meaningless.
The cliché "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" applies to the United States Congress. The power of incumbency combined with the long-term exposure to the politics and influences of Washington corrupts the members of Congress and turns them into the Lords and Ladies of America—entrenched in their power and unaccountable to the American people.
Fortunately, the Congress cannot take a lead role in America's foreign policy. That responsibility is the President's. However, the Congress can take a lead role in the nation's domestic and fiscal policies. Here are five critical issues facing America:
- Social Security—On its present financial path it will cause social and economic disaster in America within thirty years.
- Healthcare, including Medicare and Medicaid—Same as social security.
- The Federal Budget—There are no real controls on the growth of federal spending.
- The Federal Income Tax—Its mind-numbing complexity places a huge overhead cost on America's economy and it punishes the entrepreneurs who take risks and create jobs.
- The Civil Justice System—Trial lawyers are getting rich by prosecuting unwarranted class-action lawsuits against entire industries. Companies are bankrupted, jobs are destroyed, and supposed victims get few benefits.
Beyond the ballot box, there is no control on these Lords and Ladies of America. Judging from the behavior of American voters (and non-voters), there is no control at all. The founders' error, omitting term-limits from the United States Constitution, may be the undoing of this country.
© Curtis Harris
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