Partisan stalling tactics have hurt our country.

The job of government is supposed to be deliberate and thorough (let’s just say the word… S-L-O-W), but eventually we must reach a breaking point for such behavior. The breaking point was months ago in the United States Senate.

Rachel Maddow pointed it out last night… the Senate is sitting on 290 bills that have already been passed by the House of Representatives. Many of them bipartisan ventures that are being ignored thanks to the filibuster. It’s a real shame when the needs and quality of life for almost 310 million Americans have to be ground to a halt because of a few greedy politicians. It’s not just Health Care folks… we can all understand differences of opinion on things like the Public Option for Health Insurance. It’s a big step. But do we really need to hold up bills like the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act? Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act?? 139 bills have been filibustered by Senate Republicans this year. That’s far more than any time in the 229-year history of our great nation. That means that finally, partisanship has crippled us to the point that our great government system… built on the hopes dreams, blood and tears of people wishing for a better life… has been arrested in the hands of a greedy few.

Not surprisingly, AP’s Matthew Lee writes that this is not only frustrating and dangerous to our nation’s security. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified to the “gridlock in appointing officials to critical positions, including those with key foreign policy and international assistance responsibilities.” Literally, the irresponsibility of Senate Republicans is taking its toll on jobs all across our government, and exposing us to potential threat.

So my question to the Senate Republicans is this… how many Americans deserve to be denied important progress in their lives because you “don’t like” the current administration. Are the citizens of the USA really just a game to you all?? If so, then shame on you.

Governor Schwarzenegger’s got it right

According to Rob Hotakeinen at McClatchydc.com, the Governor of California has proven once again that he’s a bit more independent than his Washington party affiliates. And you can be rest assured that many more moderates around the US are glad to see thier views represented.

He actually supports Health Care reform, and unlike most of the Republican party leaders, believes that we’ve made too much progress to “start from scratch” now. It’s true… Americans have now gotten closer than ever in our history to making important changes in our health care, and ensuring fiscal responsibility and first rate care for generations to come. Both houses have passed significant bills that (in a normal cycle) would have been merged and signed into law by now. But of course in today’s Washington, partisan politics reigns supreme… far ahead of the best interests of our people.

So a hearty thank you to Governor Schwarzenegger… thank you for being a voice of reason that has so often gotten lost in campaign squandor this year. It’s time to put the party games aside and help to make a system that will be better for all of us. I hope that my Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison will be present and receptive at Thursday’s summit. It’s time to invest in our health and in our future as Americans.