I am somewhat frustrated by the gibberish that is coming from Washington. Be it Health Care Reform, the so called “stimulus” packages or even just the general budgets. Many would say it has always been like that and I have read some accounts that discussed arguments over bills that nearly came to blows in the 1800’s. There are other records that belie that though. The Homestead Act of 1862 is one such example. Could such a sweeping document be created and passed in such a succinct form today? I think not.
First, if you look at that document (here), which basically opened the West to settlement, it is only two pages long! I would wager that President Lincoln didn’t sign his name to it with 15 different give-away pens either…
Second, though written in typical legalese, there is not one piece of pork included. Compare that to the 1000 +/- pages of the ever-changing Health Care Reform Bill bouncing around in Congress now. No Cornhusker Kickback. No Louisiana Purchase. No Bridge to Nowhere.
Third, the Homestead Act was basically about freedom for American Citizens. With very few strings attached, an American Citizen could claim 160 acres of undeveloped land with the basic requirement that they move there and improve the land within the following five years. There was no Davis-Bacon Act defined wage scale for the work performed. No Minimum Wage requirement. No Project Labor Agreements requiring collective bargaining or signatory agreements. This was passed by a Congress with nothing to gain from it. The land being divvied up was in territories outside the defined states. The people receiving these benefits would be U.S. citizens, but not constituents. The representatives and senators that passed this Act were responsible for one of the biggest economic developments in the history of the nation. And they did this without any personal or political gain.
It would be so refreshing to see Bills broken down to their essence and passed based on their ability to advance the good of the nation. President Obama’s Health Care Summit was one of the few times I saw discussion on the issues rather than just pontification and posturing. It was encouraging to see that there were issues that both sides could agree on. It was depressing to see them leave that gathering and go back to their all-or-nothing, partisan bickering.
The party in power has the ability, though not the requirement, to be magnanimous. It doesn’t appear that this is the path the Democrats will take as they move forward. This is no surprise as the Republicans have set no better example when they were in power. Despite the Democrat’s claim of being swept into power on a demand for change from their constituents, they are choosing business as usual.
Is it possible to get back to Bills that are only two pages long? Maybe not… But wouldn’t it be refreshing to hear the name of a Bill moving through congress and know that its focus was in the name? Wouldn’t it be refreshing not to wonder what hidden agendas might be advanced in the amendments? We can always hope…
TOO TRUE!