COMPROMISE
Published March 30, 2013
From an article in the L.A. Times, March 28th
Alan Simpson has never shied away from sharing his convictions but a recent article in the LA Times elevated him in our esteem. The former Wyoming Senator, half the duo of Simpson-Bowles budget reform efforts, was characteristically blunt about the sequester cuts now being implemented. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” is how he described them. “It’s all done with emotion, fear, guilt or racism.”
Simpson talked about President Obama, saying he will be an utter failure, no matter what else he might accomplish, if he doesn’t rein in entitlement cost increases. But he is an equal opportunity critic, saying his Republican party is way off base, a collection of old, grumpy, white men. They need to get over gay rights, get on with immigration reform and he says men should never be allowed to vote on abortion.
Tea Party Republicans, he says, “are as rigid as a fireplace poker, without the occasional warmth.” Warming to the subject himself he continued, “ Let me tell you something, pal: If you’re a legislator and you can’t learn to compromise an issue without compromising yourself, get out of the business. In fact, don’t ever get married, either. You don’t want any part of that.”
A message that needs hearing in Washington and just as much in Raleigh.
March 30, 2013 at 11:01 am
Darrell Hill says:
The fact that reasonable compromise has gone out of government is about the anti-Constitutional thing happening. When you fail to acknowledge the voices and beliefs of others, the checks and balances of the Constitution become meaningless. All parties are partly guilty of that right now, but the Tea Party is the poster child. The NCGA and McCrory's fanatical zeal to rollback anything that's ever happened in this state is a symptom of the disease. (And I predict an overreach that will eventually return the state government to a less Republican regime. The simple hubris of their thinking that anything that came before the present government arrived is invalid is the thing Greek tragedies are made of.) Simpson does tell it like it is. We used to have more men of courage like that in government. And until we do again, we all need to mourn a little about our present state. Until we acknowledge our current failings, they will continue. I hope Simpson keeps spreading his gospel.
March 30, 2013 at 1:45 pm
dj anderson says:
Simpson says, "...old, grumpy, white men" about describes the whole show in politics. Look around!
March 30, 2013 at 4:01 pm
Tom Hauck says:
Thank you for your many papers with varied viewpoints.
I usually agree with Senator Simpson but in the case of abortion,I do not. Everyone has a stake in the morality of the country's citizens, not just the "mother".
I do not understnd why those who, often the same people, are strongly against the death penality for convicted criminals, seem to be in favor of killing the inoncent.
