In
My Opinion Caroline
Porter
The
hazards of too much power and testosterone.
Hopefully by the time
this column appears, the legislative leaders in Springfield will have come to
some agreement about the state budget and it is passed by the legislature. The
games being played in our state capitol by the leaders of both parties, but
especially the Democrats, are a result of men being in positions of power for
too long and men being men. ItŐs time the state Democratic Party elected a new
chairman and the Democratic majority in the House elects a new Speaker. The
problem is, Speaker Mike Madigan has convinced his party members that if he is
not elected for the rest of his life, their favors, jobs, appointments and any
legislative goals will disappear. And of course, if he is elected and one has
voted against him, thatŐs exactly what happens.
MadiganŐs
counterpart, Senate President Emil Jones, is another guy who ought to be
replaced. I donŐt care how effective these men have been, it was never the
intention of the founding fathers that our legislators or congressmen be in
office for life, in fact, the assumption was exactly the opposite - hence,
terms of office. At least the Democratic leadership has made some effort to
include Republican legislators in the budget discussions and now that the
official time for adopting the budget has passed, it cannot pass without
Republican approval. The Republican majority always got out of session nice and
early because about five guys made all the decisions and no one else in the
legislature had an opportunity to see the budget or provide input. The
Republican minority has no room for complaint.
Women candidates, legislators and members of congress
are finally figuring out they have much more to offer with their female perspective
and approach than if they try to act like men. As Dr. Phil would ask, ŇHowŐs
that working for you?Ó Not well.
Men have made an awful mess of this world and their performance isnŐt
impressive in the state legislature.
One final note: the
media keeps telling us poll numbers show the popularity of Congress to be lower
than the president. That might have something to do with citizens having very
low expectations of President Bush and much higher expectations for Congress.
Citizens need to be reminded that our federal government was intentionally
organized providing the sharing of power of legislative and executive branches
with great numbers of representatives, so decisions and action do not come
quickly or easily.
Are we dissatisfied with our representatives on the
state and national level? Now is the time to file for office. Next February
will be the national party primaries when party members select candidates for
local, state and federal offices for the general election next fall. Next
March, citizens can file for office as independents, and legislation has been
passed reducing petition requirements for independent candidates for the state
legislature. Democracy will not work without citizens being informed and
participating.
Caroline Porter has
been a political activist for 50 years, is a member of the Knox County Board
and just earned a MasterŐs Degree in Political Science from Western Illinois
University. She can be reached at cporter@galesburg.net.