Efficiency in Washington

Posted by George Weber on February 3, 2019

We live in one of the most efficient countries in the world.  In order to maintain this status, we need our government to be just as efficient.  What does it mean to be efficient when it comes to government?  It means making decisions based on facts, data, and science-based logic.  You cannot determine the best solution to a problem unless you do this.

Unfortunately, the existing political parties often view issues from the point of view that most reflects their ideology, leaning either towards conservative or liberal thinking.  It’s not that they are always wrong, it is that sometimes the best solution to a problem lies on the other side of the ideological spectrum.

According to an AP-NORC poll, many Americans feel disconnected with the offerings of the major political parties.  And although there are a number of smaller political parties, they are not filling the gap.  At the same time, a Gallup poll in 2017 indicated that 42% of Americans identify themselves as Independent, more than Democrats or Republicans.  With the existing two primary political parties as their only real choice, the people who have moderate ideological beliefs have little option other than to decide which party they disagree with the least and vote with them. 

In addition, we face a major problem with the gridlock that exists in Congress.  Some of the issues presently screaming to be resolved include the federal debt, our crumbling infrastructure, and climate change, just to name a few.  With little progress being made by Congress in solving the very solvable problems facing this country, voters have become frustrated. 

The gridlock that exists in Washington will likely not end with a two-party system.  The United States is one of only a few countries in the world to have a two-party political system.    John Adams wrote in 1789:  “There is nothing I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other.  This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.”

So how do we solve gridlock and make government more responsive to what the majority or Americans want?  The most viable solution is the formation of a new moderate political party which will base its decisions on facts and science-based logic, rather than ideology, and act as tiebreaker to get things moving in Washington.

To enact legislation, members of the new party will align themselves with the party that is in agreement with the most efficient solution for the issue at hand.  This coalition will then have a much better chance of mustering up enough votes to pass the legislation.   This is the way it works in most other countries which have a multi-party political system.  This is what we also need.    

Next:  The Importance of Ideology