The Grind of Governance – for the Commuter Times
The Grind of Governance
Im pretty frustrated with the workings of our government. I mean really, can we get anything useful done? The City of Chicago passed a law trying to limit the number of guns on their streets. Not a bad idea; there are a lot of murders in Chicago. Naturally, the Supreme Court struck it down. Congress worked for months – some would say years – to get healthcare reform legislation passed. Im glad they did, but with so many of its provisions dependent on yet to be written regulations for its efficacy, I wonder if "reform" is really what well get. Same seems true for financial reform. Could it be any more confusing? That worries me because the by-product of confusion is manipulation (behind closed doors) and stalling. On top of that, it turns out the death of one Senator could stall the whole effort further. Then there is campaign finance reform. What are the odds well see that? (Maybe if the law takes effect in a hundred years). As Edgar asks in King Lear, "O gods! Who is it can say ’I am at the worst’?"
Sadly, not us. Voter anger now sweeps the nation. Whoever is left of the experienced, and dare I say "reasonable," conservatives in office, find their jobs in jeopardy, (unless of course, they become less reasonable).
Even locally the wheels grind slowly. Do you have any idea how difficult it was for the churches and synagogues of San Rafael to offer emergency shelter to our homeless population this last winter? It cost thousands and took months – and that was working with government officials who wanted to help the homeless. Can you imagine if they didn’t? Is it possible for the wheels of government to grind more slowly?
I spouted off about this to my friend Eric. Eric is an older gentleman, a Jewish man who, at age 17 walked out of Austria with a blanket and a compass to escape the Nazis. Hes a holocaust survivor. I dont like to talk about it that way though; it seems like such a cliché coming from my privileged, "always lived in safety" mouth when, in my eyes, he is a great man.
I appreciate what Eric has to say. I have an entire series of sermons entitled, A Christian Response to Things My Friend Eric has Said . Here’s one of my favorites: What’s the difference between a liberal and a conservative? Conservatives don’t want change; liberals want change, . . . but not now.
Anyway when I complained to him about the slow grind we call governance, he said, "Yes, tis true, but the founding fathers were smart. The made it very difficult to get anything done. Consider, the more efficient the government the more dangerous."
It brought me up short, but I still cant figure out if its more encouraging or discouraging. Anyway, I leave you with another "Ericism." "Sometimes things go right . . . even for good people." Im going to count on that.
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