Shutdown Aftermath

             When I hear people say that our political process is broken due to the aftershock of the near-deficit crisis, I think these people do not get the point of Congress. Congress’ job is not to put a rubber stamp on whatever any President wishes, as the media would have you believe. How many articles were written on how the law was passed and the Supreme Court upheld it? The kicker is, it does not matter. The point of having a Congress is to debate things. If a law is passed, does that mean we should not go back to review it and possibly revise or repeal it? No. I am not saying I support or oppose the Healthcare bill because quite frankly, I think nobody fully understands it. The issue that I have is that folks believe that the GOP had no right to challenge the law by “holding America hostage.” Well the Constitution disagrees with that statement,

“All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other Bills.”

—     U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 7, clause 1.

What I am saying is, without ‘picking sides,’ is that it was well within the right of the Republican controlled House of Representatives to do what they did. The power of the purse is a powerful concept, something we have gotten away from in the 20^th and 21^st Century where we have seen the size and scope of the Executive Branch grow exponentially. This separation of powers is vital; a healthy debate on funding is the difference between a healthy republic and a banana republic (dictatorship).