The differences between the Democrats and the Republicans seem to be irreconcilable. Perhaps it is time for a divorce. Maybe it is time to end the political parties altogether, because neither party is reflecting what the vast majority of people in the country needs and wants. There are more people who claim to be independents, than members of either party. Why don't the independents get a voice in what happens?
It is obvious that most people are disgusted with what Congress is doing (or not doing) and the partisan gridlock insures that nothing of value will get done until things change. A recent Gallop poll found that 77% of people said the economy is getting worse, 73% think the country is going in the wrong direction, and consumer confidence went down to -53%. These indexes are the worst they have been since the economic meltdown.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/148889/Econom...Why the sudden plunge in confidence? The S&P downgrade and the unnecessary farcical debt limit debacle are what caused the anger of most people, and the market uncertainty. The Intransigence of the Republicans and their refusal to consider any revenue changes are what caused S&P to downgrade our credit ratings which made the stock market plunge. They warn that unless things change we could be further downgraded.
The Super Committee of 12 is supposed to come up with additional reductions to our deficit, but that seems designed to fail.
The Democrats have come to the table willing to do the hard work of negotiating. Harry Reid has chosen one liberal Sen. Patty Murray, one moderate, Sen. John Kerry, and one conservative Sen. Max Baucus to be on the panel. This approach reflects what the people want, a balance of revenue increases and smart budget cuts. The Republicans have chosen 6 radical super conservatives who have all pledged never to raise taxes for any reason.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/1..."What about the country and our people? Every poll shows that the public wants the same thing that economists say we need: increases in spending on the things that grow our economy, cuts in military spending and tax increases on the rich and big corporations (2/3 of which pay no taxes at all) -- the very items that are "off the table" in the budget negotiations!"
http://www.truth-out.org/negotiation-101...There is little hope of resolving differences if one side comes to the table vowing not to negotiate. Before divorces become final, the parties are usually asked to go through mediation to see if there is any chance of reconciliation. Deadlines and stressful situations often results in deals that are unsatisfactory to everyone. This conflict has ended up in a vicious downward spiral of negativity and recrimination. Since the members of both parties no longer work or even listen to each other, there is little understanding between the two sides. Each side even has it's own news and information sources and each side thinks the other side is biased and even the facts are often in dispute.
Having two sides evenly matched as in the "Super Committee" guarantees either gridlock, or one side caving in to the bullying of the other. There should be an unbiased third party to mediate. The majority of people who disagrees with both major parties should have a say, and it would also be good to have some economists participate that actually know how to solve the economic problems we are facing. The mediators should also be trained in conflict resolution.
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/n...In this conflict the Republicans are unyielding, competitive and combative, the Democrats are too compromising, and the President is too accommodating (willing to give away too much). The people who have no say are getting screwed.
In conflict resolution there are five steps to a reasonable solution.
1. Active listening. Each side should really listen to the concerns of the other.
2. Gather information. This is where the input of the best economists and the latest studies should come into play.
3. Agree on what the problem is. Democrats think Jobs is the major problem, Republicans consider debt the major problem.
4. Brainstorm Solutions. Bring in those experts, but also look at what other nations have done and which solutions are the most successful. All possible options should be considered.
5. Negotiate a solution. In this case the solution should be what is best for the long term good of the country and the people. Political considerations should be left behind. That is what the mediators should determine.
In the coming negotiations there should be 6 Democrats, 6 Republicans and an uneven number of neutral independent experts who also have a vote, so they can break deadlocks.
Knowing that the independents will decide the issue, forces both sides to compromise with the independents and that way, what is pest for the people will be determined.
A similar process should be arrived at for all legislation. There should be an up or down majority vote on whether an issue should be acted on. Then three possible solutions, or bills should be written up. One from the Democrats, one from the Republicans, and one from the independents.
Then preference voting should be used to vote for the best solution. (3 pts. for the one you like, 2 pts. to your second choice, 1 pt. to the one you dislike. The solution with the most points will win.) Once again each bill will be designed to appeal to the center, not the extremes of their bases, so the will of the people will best be served.