(U-WIRE) -Our judicial system is probably this nation's most powerful governmental branch. Many appointees are there for life or until they feel like leaving. They don't make the rules, but they tell us what they mean. And that is even more important. They can send us to jail and tell us what we can do. Currently, George Bush is working to put several requested appointees into judicial positions. They are all of a conservative nature, as one would expect. Bush wants them because they are like him. Understandable. Many Democratic senators are totally bent on opposing Bush's nominations, which is not surprising, as they did not support them during Bush's last term when he pushed for the appointment of his candidates. Democrats have threatened to filibuster Bush's appointments until the issue can be tabled. This is also not surprising. With the partisan wars that are raging in Washington, it seems hard to believe that any Democrat would go along with Republican George Bush's nominations, solely because he is a Republican. It is utterly ridiculous how divided our legislatures have become. The two-party system we have maintained pretty consistently through our government's history has served to provide multiple points of view. Sure, there is shameless political bickering, but the dialogue is there nonetheless --multiple viewpoints are being heard. This is an important aspect of social discourse. Unfortunately, with people too often unwilling to alter their stances, our two-party setup can be a hassle.
The filibuster system was set up as a way of blocking legislation and has been used over the years to give the minority party a much-needed tool for balancing the odds in Congress. This isn't to say that the filibuster hasn't been used immorally -in fact, the tactic was used by Southerners to block civil rights legislation during the early 20th century. It's not perfect, to say the least, but it can serve a purpose.
These tools have a simple logic. They are used to properly balance voices in our government, so that everyone might have a chance to speak. Minority parties can be just as powerful as majority groups, and our government can avoid being taken over by one train of thought. These delay tactics by Democrats are frustrating and keep judges from being appointed, but when the Republican Party has been in the minority, they have exercised this many times as well. In fact, Republican congressmen blocked a number of Bill Clinton's appointments during his term using filibuster. It has been a crucial element to minority party strategy.
Now, there is talk in Republican camps of disabling the use of the filibuster when dealing with judicial nominations. This seems self-defeating. In 10 years, if there is a Democratic majority in the Senate, then Republicans will have no recourse to use when trying to stop their judicial appointments. It seems that about half of the people in the Senate don't want these nominees holding office. Maybe they have someone else in mind, maybe not, but they definitely don't want who Bush is offering. Based on the traditions of our government, wouldn't a compromise be effective? Three or four of Bush's guys. Three or four Democrats. Well, that's not likely. The filibuster has become a commonly abused device. People would rather rant than debate. It seems humans have a natural inclination to hearing themselves talk. And as political parties drift further to their respective rights and lefts, reaching an agreement seems more difficult than it was before. What happened to all of the moderates? Ah, well.
So the my-way-or-the-highway attitude seems like it will stick around. It's just too difficult to talk to someone when you have nothing in common.
This makes use of any political system worthless. There is no room for compromise; they are all on totally different levels. But at least they quit worrying about steroid use in Major League Baseball and have moved on to something with a little more value. Hey! Maybe they will get back to the war in Iraq soon.
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