Separate Issues
The weekend attacks on Israel by Iran led to renewed talk about Congress providing aid to Israel. The most recent attempts have essentially seen the House want to decide separately how to handle additional aid to Israel, to Ukraine, and for the porous southern border; while essentially the Senate wants to mash everything into a single bill.
Today is April 15, the day by which our federal income tax returns are due. So it seems especially appropriate for we, the taxpayers, to stand up today and say…one bill for each separate issue. Enough of lumping things together and requiring members to swallow hard for things they don’t want in order to get the things they do want. That’s swamp politics, and it needs to stop.
Aid for Israel seems on the face of it like a good idea, especially since Israel was the victim of a terror attack barely six months ago. So if our lawmakers are as smart as they think they are, how about whipping up a bill for that and getting it to the president’s desk right away.
Aid for Ukraine…a little trickier, given how much has already been sent. But if our lawmakers are as smart as they think they are, then whip up a bill for that and hold proper debate and votes…a clean bill, as they like to say…up or down on that one issue.
Money for the border…well, to me that seems like a waste until the administration policy on the matter changes. But regardless, if our lawmakers are as smart as they think they are, then whip up a bill for that and hold proper debate and votes on that too.
Who knows, such a thing might just catch on…one topic per bill, just like the good old days before the swamp became so dense.
Actually, the problem is not only that our lawmakers think they are so smart…they think we’re dumb. And so long as we keep voting them back into office with no change in behavior, we’re proving they are right.
