TAKING THE GOVERNMENT HOSTAGE "For all of their talk about revering the Constitution, the right-wing faction that has taken over the Republican Party shows a fundamental disregard for the principles of that document. They are substituting hostage-taking for the legislative process the Constitution sets out. ... a democratic legislative system will not function if people decide that when they do not get the necessary votes through the regular process, they will hold unrelated government operation for ransom. Health care reform has been upheld by a conservative U.S. Supreme Court and was the policy of the winner in the last presidential election. Obama is absolutely right to say he will not negotiate with these parliamentary terrorists.......a process by which people deliberately inflict harm on our economy by refusing to allow the government to perform its essential functions solely to gain leverage over a policy issue which they cannot win by the normal processes is a threat to our constitutional system. If that tactic works -- if people who do not like a previously enacted policy can threaten at any time that they will shut down the whole government until the majority that enacted that policy gives in to their minority view -- we will be in serious trouble. The threat by the tea party to shut down the entire government and refuse to pay our debts because they lack the votes to repeal health care reform is an assault not only on the health care bill but also on our economy and democratic government." ~Barney Frank
Posted on: Tue, 01 Oct 2013 17:40:20 +0000
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