Free Us From the Filibuster!!

 I was going to go with a more "earthy" title, but I didn't want Google to have to put a warning label on another blog post of mine. 

The federal government has been "shut down" for almost six weeks now and it's time for this crap to end. I just want somebody to justify the actions of 45 Democrats and Socialists and the damage that those actions have caused. 

I checked my US Constitution Pocket Guide and there is no provision for the Senate filibuster. If they can create it in the Senate, they can modify it and/or eliminate it in the Senate. They have already eliminated the filibuster for nominees for federal appointments. 

Donald Trump is right about one thing in this discussion. That is that the Democrats will eliminate the filibuster when they want to pass controversial legislation so the Republicans should just go ahead and end it now. They can start by ending it on bills that will result in a government shutdown. 

For more than 100 years U.S. Senators were elected by the state legislatures. Then we changed that to popular election. Essentially today, the Senate is just the House with longer terms. The whole notion that the Senate is somehow a group of older, wiser legislators is simply a bad joke on the public. 

Senators like to talk about the history of the Senate and the wise men who have worked there. That's simply an attempt to put lipstick on a pig. Let me be kind, Senators. What have you done for us lately? The military and government employees aren't getting paid. Thanksgiving travel may soon be cancelled. What's the level of wisdom in that?

Senators like to think and act like that they are some kind of august body of worldly geniuses. In reality, they are simply the 21st Century version of the Little Rascals and their "He-Man Woman Hater's Club". And yes, I am including the female Senators in that group. They may actually be worse than the men.

Right now, our government is shut down because the Democrats in the Senate want to get $1.5 trillion dollars in spending reinstated that they lost earlier this year. During the contrived COVID crisis, they passed legislation giving their voters financial assistance in paying for their insurance under the poorly named and damned near fraudulent Affordable Care Act. The Democrats scheduled those payments to end on December 31, 2025. Now, they want to extend that despite the fact that the whole COVID crisis is history. Only cockroaches can live longer than government programs. So, like pouting children, Democrats are holding their breath and claiming that they will kill themselves if we do not continue those payments. We need to stop spending our tax money to help Senators and Representatives get elected. Buy your own election!!

Simple question, if it is "Affordable Care", why do we need to subsidize it for them? Beyond that, why do we need to shut down the government in October for something that doesn't expire until December 31? This is Trump Derangement Syndrome at work in your Congress, America.

How can we eliminate these government shutdowns? First, let's reduce the benefits of being a US Senator. When government employees are being paid, neither should legislators. Second, let's cut the perks for being a Senator. I have visited the offices of several Senators, and they are much nicer than the offices of almost every private business that I have ever seen. Third, let's limit Senators to a single term. If you can't get it done in six years, pack it in. Six years in the "He-Man Woman Haters Club" should be enough for anyone.

As long as we are working on Congressional reform, let's limit House members to three terms. The idea that our representatives become more effective with experience is easily disproven with a quick glance at the operation of the government. Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi announced that she is retiring next year at the end of forty years in the House. She now has a net worth of over $300 million. She claims that she and her husband never talk about investments and that he gets no "inside information". All of those stock trades just before government actions were announced is just coincidence. 

All of these side rants bring me back to the subject at hand. It's time for the Republicans to end the filibuster on federal spending bills and put the government back to work. Trump can't run for another term, so he thinks this is a good idea. If Senators could not run for another term, they would think so too.