Working On Senate Time

On June 27, the United States Senate collectively threw up its hands and quit trying to pass the latest bill addressing illegal immigration. Then, things got worse. After failing to do their jobs, the senators casually announced that because the immuigration issue was "so hard" and "really tough to deal with," the senate wouldn't be able to tackle immigration reform again until after the next national election, which is more than 16 months away. Maybe it's just me, but if this crowd can't find the time in the next 16 months to address what many senators have called "our most pressing issue," maybe it's time to throw the whole bunch out and start over.
No time? That's all they have is time...to work on this bill and others. What they're lacking isn't time, but guts. After bothering to visit the home folks during Memorial Day recess, the senators realized this issue is radioactive. By the strange logic of American politics, incumbent politicians have learned they can do better at election time by avoiding an issue rather than taking an unpopular stand. Maybe it's time voters reminded them that taking unpopular stands is what politicians are elected to do. If the current senate had been seated in 1964, minoriities would still be begging for the right to vote. These days, though, the "job" isn't about making hard choices, it's about raising hard cash for reelection campaigns. Makes you proud, doesn't it?