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Published: Monday, Mar. 15, 2010 / Updated: Monday, Mar. 15, 2010 06:01 PM

Stop Washington’s ‘arrogant’ attitude

I don’t often use words such as “arrogant” to describe others. Even when I strongly disagree with someone – and in recent months I have found myself on the receiving end of some strong words due to my vocal opposition to the $787 billion “stimulus” bill – I generally believe political arguments should be based more on ideas than name-calling.

But one is hard-pressed to find a more accurate description of the United States Congress these days.

As I write this community newspaper column, the TV news is on in the background, and there’s a story about the Majority Party working to “find the votes” needed to pass the health care legislation which is currently before Congress. This is troubling for several reasons. Not only do I consider the proposed government takeover of health care to be horrible legislation, but the talk seems to center around “finding votes” rather than improving the legislation to make it more palatable to members of the Minority Party who are opposed to it… as well as the majority of taxpayers who oppose it.

There’s also much talk about the Majority Party using the legislative process known as “reconciliation” – a word used by Congressional leaders which means circumventing the normal process for passing important legislation. The stakes couldn’t be higher (this legislation would affect one-sixth of the U.S. economy, as well as the lives of almost every American) so, considering the magnitude of this proposal, many rightly oppose this maneuver.

As we’ve already seen, the desire to pass health care “reform” legislation has brought out the worst in Congress. For one thing, the President has reneged on his election-year promise that the healthcare “reform” debate would be accessible to TV cameras every step of the way. Instead, much if it has been closed to the media and to the American public. There have been backroom deals and even bribes. Several states received promises of extra funding in exchange for their Senators’ votes.

It’s not hard to figure out why the Majority Party in Congress is in such a hurry to pass the measure. It’s wildly unpopular with the public, and members of the U.S. House and Senate certainly want to leave this issue in the past… hoping it will be somewhat forgotten by the time they face re-election in November.

But that’s no reason to pass legislation in a hurry. Members of Congress were elected to represent the interests of those they serve, not to look out for their own re-election prospects. And any proposal to so radically alter the health care prospects of every American should be diligently thought through, and examined with a fine-toothed comb. It should go through the normal process, not jammed down the throats of Americans who oppose it.

The “party in power” might not be in power much longer if it lets this “power” go to its head.

Richard Eckstrom is S.C. comptroller.