Why Gridlock Snarls Washington and Works Against the Peoples' Interest

Change Washington Culture by Constitutional Prohibition on Gerrymandering

January 26, 2009
By: Dave Rogers

GRIDLOCK!!!

Gridlock can be defined as an incurable disease infecting the nation's legislative process that keeps Congress at odds over almost any issue.

The effects of gridlock are seen clearly in the recent debacle over President Obama's proposal for an economic stimulus package.

Wit this absolutely horrendous economic crisis, why would any legislator be against any type of remedy?

Well, in a word, POLITICS!

First, oppositional defiant behavior seems to be an epidemic in Washington.

Few legislators are willing to support any proposal that would benefit a member of the opposite party. Is that understandable? Yes, among kindergarten children.

Another insight is given by Roger Simon, chief political correspondent of Politico.com and best-selling author of "Divided We Stand: How Al Gore Beat George Bush and Lost the Presidency."

Congressional districts have been so gerrymandered that members are routinely re-elected by the majority of constituents of their own parties.

Gerrymandering, you may recall, was the name give the political procedure whereby a legislative unit, such as Congress or a state legislature, arranges for its future power by drawing district lines to include a majority of supporters of its own party.

FairVote.org explains the destructive nature of this program:

"Gerrymandering is a term that describes the deliberate rearrangement of the boundaries of congressional districts to influence the outcome of elections.

"The original gerrymander was created in 1812 by Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry, who crafted a district for political purposes that looked like a salamander.

"The purpose of gerrymandering is to either concentrate opposition votes into a few districts to gain more seats for the majority in surrounding districts (called packing), or to diffuse minority strength across many districts (called dilution). "In 1967, Congress passed a law requiring all U.S. representatives to be elected from single member districts -- the system we use today. Congress in 1982 amended the Voting Rights Act to protect the voting rights of protected racial minorities in redistricting. Within those laws, states have great leeway to draw districts, which often leads to gerrymandering."

The big problem is that the legislators themselves draw the lines to protect the interests of their own parties. FairVote is an organization with the purpose stated in its name: fairness in voting.

"For years, FairVote has highlighted how our nation's reliance upon winner-take-all elections and single member districts for Congressional elections without national standards has left our voting process open to the abuses of unfair partisan gerrymandering.

"Insiders for decades have known how powerful redistricting can be for elected officials to protect friends and undermine opponents. It's a blood sport that both parties have exploited, thereby minimizing the role of voters in the political process. By gerrymandering the districts, legislators and their political cronies have used redistricting to choose their voters, before voters have had the opportunity to choose them."

The upshot of all this political manipulation is that the American citizen is the last person considered by legislators in making decisions crucial to the welfare of the nation.

Therefore, in the current monumental financial crisis, Congress is more concerned about pleasing the partisan voters in their home districts rather than solving a problem that affects everyone.

The main motivation is re-election, and continuation of their partisans in power, rather than the common good of the people of America.

How can this dilemma be solved?

The only way is by a Constitutional Amendment banning gerrymandering, perhaps by putting the job of redistricting after every Census in the hands of a non-partisan judicial panel.

We at MyTriCityNews.com (MyBayCity) hereby launch this national campaign for a Constitutional Amendment to end gerrymandering. If you would like to sign on and help circulate petitions, please respond to this column.

God willing and the creek don't rise, Michigan legislators will soon snatch this initiative away from us by adopting common sense rules that eliminate gerrymandering.

H.J.R. 45 was introduced on March 12, 2008 by Democratic Representative Mike Simpson of Jackson. One of the goals of the legislation is to modify congressional and legislative apportionment and districting.

Under the proposed legislation, districts are to be divided into equally proportioned single-member districts.

The legislation apparently provides for Voting Rights Act compliance by stating that districts shall be compact, contiguous, not use voter history data, and shall comply with federal law.

Thank you, Rep. Simpson, and let's be about the business of saving the nation from further GRIDLOCK.