Who's on first? The bottom line is: Discord reigns when politics is king

It is a curious puzzle, this inability to reach an agreement really anywhere.

And we say "anywhere" because Washington is not the only place where there seems to be a problem getting anyone to pass anything in a timely manner.

There is an ongoing budget battle in North Carolina. And in this state, one party controls both the House and the Senate as well as the governor's office.

One would think that would be enough to sail through a budget process, right? Well, no. The debate continues and the contingency budgets reign supreme.

Is that a good thing? Well, maybe. It means that we don't have a legislature that votes as a party-affiliated bloc and that there are some people who want to make sure the job gets done right. And that is a good thing for the future of North Carolina.

But, still, it seems like this should be a done deal by now.

But while we might scratch our heads at the marathon session in Raleigh (and we think some of our representatives and senators are doing the same), we don't hold out much hope for Washington either.

Congress heads back to work this week and the age-old question that transcends Republicans and Democrats remains.

Is anything going to get done? And whose fault is it that the agenda is not already filled with "completed" checkmarks?

The system of government we had for these nearly 240-odd years sets up arguments. That is the deal -- legislators advocate for the interests of the people they represent. And then you add in the lobbyists, who advocate for the interests they represent.

And bingo, you have a recipe for a very long night.

But, really, it seems like we should be able to get something done. After all, if every member of Congress is against high taxes and unbalanced budgets, then why do we have them?

We can't take credit for the thought. The late columnist Charley Reese once pointed that out in one of his columns -- look it up. It will make your head spin.

But Reese was right. The people making the trouble in Washington are the very people we put there to eliminate the great divide and to get the job done.

Ironic, isn't it?

The bottom line really is that the trouble in Washington is, well, Washington.

The mechanisms that have developed over the years are less about serving the people and more about creating a fiefdom where the benefits are guaranteed and the bureaucracies perpetuate each other.

It is politics and back-scratching, pure and simple.

So how do we fix it, how do we make sure that something gets done?

Unfortunately, it might mean we change the personnel -- or at least the ones who have logged decades of moving and shaking in Washington with the same old results.

And we call it like we see it -- we don't get fooled by politics and campaigns. We hold everyone accountable.

We listen with interest to the arguments, the blame games and the play-by-play as the weeks drag into months.

Then, we wait and watch -- until we have our chance to have our say.

And when we get our chance, WE get things done.

Published in Editorials on September 5, 2015 10:23 PM