Dan Schnieders
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
A recent LTE discussed how America is too divided to achieve change through constitutional amendments. Certainly, America is divided, but even in his criticism of that division, the writer clearly suggests his support of certain issues like immigration reform, campaign contribution limitations and the banning of gerrymandering is shared by the majority of Americans. I'd bet my last dime we don't agree on immigration reform and I know plenty of folks that feel like I do. In this divided stalemate the Supreme Court has been thrown into an unaccustomed role. We even have one party that would like to use them to legislate through their decisions; by packing the court to drive outcomes. Frankly, what's the difference if we disagree on governance anyway if we have administrations that selectively decide what laws to enforce and which to ignore as in the case of our Southern border situation? Every matter of consequence need not be a constitutional issue.
There's nothing wrong with our legislative or judicial processes, but there's definitely something wrong with the people we select to govern us. Both parties keep sending back the same old hacks that dig in their heels and resort to block-and-tackle-style politics instead of exercising proactive leadership to get something done. The 117th Congress has 35 senators who are serving at least their fourth term or more; and 56 (43 of them Democrats) in the House with more than 20 years of service. And in the White House, we have an executive with virtually more experience than all of them at getting nothing done. Enough! Get away from the power trough. These folks have given us the last-minute Obamacare, the 2,700-page "infrastructure" bill that contains little infrastructure, and others that reflect every special interest group that had a dollar of lobby money. These bills are not to get something done, to the contrary, they are to give the illusion of progress while the real power struggle continues; the power to get reelected. Special interest groups feed this beast and keep it healthy while the rest of us pay for the privilege of being underrepresented. We place these people in positions of enormous responsibility to walk the fine line between doing what's good for the most of us while doing harm to the least and it's time they do their job and not worry who's in their contact list.