The Tyranny of the Majority

Among its many noble aspects, the US Constitution was written to prevent a majority from exercising complete control over the minority.  The Founders recognized that the rights of all depend on respect for the rights of a few.  And, in their wisdom (and it was just that: wisdom), they created three branches of government to hold each other in check. Some might say that the inability for one branch of government to exercise its will without restraint is why our country and Constitution have survived.

Of course, Congress - and particularly the Democrats in the Senate - have other ideas. Not content with a majority in the Senate, Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley and a few other Democrats are pushing for a bill to end the filibuster.  Filibustering is the recourse of the majority to delay and frequently halt passage of legislation with which they disagree.

Filibusters can be ended by the Majority Leader.  Merkley and his fellow sponsors point out that in the six years Lyndon Johnson was majority leader (1955-1960), he had to file only one motion to end a filibuster.  However, in the six years he's been majority leader (2007-2012), Harry Reid has filed 387.   This, of course, is regarded as horrific - a testament to Republican obstructionism ("the party of No!") and bad faith with the American people. 
With an activist President in the White House and a majority in the Senate, the filibuster is one of the few tools Republicans have to prevent the majority from ramming through legislation without regards for the views, not to mention rights, of the minority. 

Despite all the talk about bi-partisanship and working together to "get things done" in Congress, it seems to me that what the US electorate wants is a divided Congress.  If ineffectiveness means stopping certain legislation from passing, then let's praise ineffectiveness and stalemate.  Republican opposition is not always out of bad will (if it ever is).  It is often (and most always) due to fundamental disagreement with the bill at hand.   And, what many Americans don't realize is that bills before both the House and Senate, no matter how sweet or noble sounding, more often than not contain addenda or provisions that have more far-reaching consequences than the principle legislation itself.  It's called legislation by stealth.

Senator Merkley is getting a lot of press with his "let's get things done" push.  "I feel we have a responsibility to the citizens of the nation to make the Senate deliberate and decide," says Merkley.

Don't believe a word of it.  Majority Leader Reid has closed of debate on a number of items he doesn't like - or refused to bring to a vote bills on which he knows his own party will break ranks and vote with Republicans.  Scoundrels at work here.

During the campaign, someone (I think it was Ron Paul) suggested that Congress meet every two years rather than every year.  I am in full agreement!  How refreshing it would be to have a Congress that did NOTHING.  The nation would survive - probably even prosper.