Congress is a joke

Living in a country where there are only effectively 2 major political parties has really left me with some profound insights on politics. Okay, never mind. It just pisses me off. In Taiwan there are three major competing parties - PFP (People's First Party), KMT (Chinese Nationalist Party), and DPP (Democratic Progressive Party). While the PFP and the KMT are generally aligned, at least there is room for discussion and compromise. In this sort of situation, you generally have a party on each side representing an issue, and the third party basically playing the role as the important tie-breaker. In this situation, moderate policies can flourish - or at the very least, get valuable time on the legislative floor.

Boneheaded politics in the United States are a part of the strict two-party system. I mean, look at what we've got. Paris Hilton goes to jail for an expired driver's license, but Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez lies repeatedly under oath to Congress, violates his oath of office, and basically pisses on the Constitution. Oh yeah, he keeps his job. Don't get me wrong, Paris Hilton deserves every bit of jail time she got. Reckless driving claims more lives than terrorism each year.

Holding elected leaders - and colleagues - accountable isn't the most pleasant part of being a member of the legislative branch (though Taiwanese LYers may disagree), but it's part of their job. I wanted Paris Hilton to go to jail because it would show the American people that even the super rich aren't above the law. But what should the punishment be? It's up to the judge.

November 2006, the American people - ultimate judges for our national leaders - spoke quite eloquently through their votes at the polls. They wanted dramatic change in the national agenda. Bush's approval rating has consistently been hovering at the low-30s high-20s. The public was speaking. Get out of Iraq, do something about gas price-gouging, enforce our laws, end the assault on the environment and dependence on oil, stop with trying to piss off the entire world... they've had it. So what happens?

The new kids get elected into office and say some nice things. Yet when it comes down to crunch time they do squat. Congress handed Bush yet ANOTHER blank check for the bloody fiasco in Iraq. The very least they can do now is impeach Alberto Gonzalez. He's already made it clear that he won't resign, and Bush isn't going to replace him. He can't have it both ways. He has two masters here - the law, and the Bush administration. When your responsibility is to uphold the law you can't get away with breaking it at the same time. But he's still there because... well, he protects Bush from legal troubles that pile up after the end of the worst seven years in American history.

Unfortunately, the 2-party system helps prolong partisan politics. Voters generally don't agree with ALL the policies of a political party - they pick the one that mirrors their own preferences as closely as possible. Herein lies the problem of limited choice. If you're pro-choice but also pro-gun, then you have to figure out which one you value more, because you can't have both when your options are only Democrat or Republican. The fact that the US has never had a viable third party necessarily creates inflexibility in political policy - they don't want to lose their base. Ah, you've gotta love Democracy.