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It’s time to change the rules in Harrisburg

RON WILLIAMS

Pennsylvania Furnace

One thing that most of us can probably agree on is that our national politics are way out of whack. A government that used to be the envy of much of the world has become a laughingstock. So if it’s true that “all politics are local,” is it possible that the lack of professionalism in Washington is a reflection of local politics gone wrong?

Consider this: In Pennsylvania state politics, whichever party is in power writes rules that give their leaders complete control over the legislative process. Because they are in the majority they are able to force these rules through before doing anything else. The rules (1) give the House Speaker and majority leaders absolute authority over everything, including committee chairs and (2) give committee chairs absolute authority over the handling of all bills in their committee. This means that party leaders alone control the fate of every bill, no matter the issue and regardless of what voters think or even how much bi-partisan support any given issue has.

Continuing to believe that we actually live in a democracy when our voices have been silenced is naive. And if Pennsylvania state legislators believe we don’t care whether democracy is practiced in state politics then why would we expect it to be different in the nation’s capitol?

Let Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, House Speaker Brian Cutler, House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, and your local representative know that you expect Harrisburg to operate as a Democracy…starting in January.

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