THE SOCIALIST’S JOURNAL: Little Boy’s Games

      *This week the Senate should engage in serious discussions regarding the healthcare reform bill passed by the House of Representatives recently. Unfortunately these discussions could be sidetracked by partisan one-upmanship. Translation: Republicans are expected to filibuster. This is not only unacceptable; it is un-American.

      The essence of democracy, since the birth of western civilization in ancient Greece, is having multiple viewpoints being heard, allowing an individual the chance to sway the opinions of others, and then having a vote to determine the society’s course of action. The act of a filibuster unnaturally slows down the democratic process. Additionally a democracy is supposed to be meritocratic. A filibuster impedes the Darwinist process of the best ideas from being heard and potentially adopted.

      Furthermore a filibuster is a breakdown of the democratic process at possibly the most important junction by the exact people who are given the job of running our society. Congress was created as having the most authority under the Constitutional system of government. The fact that these Congressmen and women are intentionally undermining our system of government is immature. Their behavior is paralleled by the nine year old who leaves the playground with his ball after not being chosen to play. The adults who are charged with creating laws for our society must be better.

      Of course I am in favor of healthcare reform. But my stance against the filibuster is less about getting reform instituted and more about allowing the conversation about reform to happen. Even if a new healthcare system is adopted the details will still need to be ironed out, making a bipartisan conversation all the more important.

      The people in Congress need to grow up and allow the process to work. 

Trevor Brookins is a free lance writer in Rockland County, New York. He is currently working on a book about American culture during the Cold War and he maintains a blog called This Seems Familiar.  You can reach him at thesocialistsjournal@yahoo.com