I have to say that, today, I am proud of the US House of Representatives. Personally, I was on the fence about the $700 billion bailout plan. I did not like that it had to be suggested in the first place but I was pretty much of the persuasion that it needed to be done. I have always preferred a laissez-faire attitude towards the economy but, in this case, interference seemed necessary. Yes, even I can agree with George Bush on occasion.
Having said all of this I was not wholly disappointed that the plan did not pass the House. Why, you ask? Because it shows true democracy in action. Reports are that thousands upon thousands of constituents from across the country phoned up their congressman or woman pleading with them to vote against the bailout. It would seem Bush underestimated the opinion of ‘middle America.’ This is not the first time he has done this but we won’t go into that here.
The point is that your elected representatives in both the House and Senate do listen. But, see, that’s the funny thing with Congress. Most Americans will bemoan the squabbling and debating and back-and-forth-ing of the houses as a whole but not their own representatives. No, their Senator or Representative is good. He/she does what is best for the constituency. At the end of the day, though, it’s that debate and back-and-forth that passes bills. It’s called compromising. It is the way things are done virtually everywhere in the world every day.
So, today I say thank you House of Representatives. Thank you for listening to your constituents and not rubber-stamping Bush’s plan. I might disagree with your decision but the fact that you listened to constituents matters more to me than the the passing of this bailout plan.