I was excited when I found out that Republicans won a majority in all 3 branches of the federal governemnt. And I thought we'd get a lot of legislation passed as a result.

But now reality is sinking in: the filibuster rule dictates that a majority isn't a majority unless it's a bigger majority than what we've got.

Example: the senate took a vote on banning transgendered people in women's sports, and the majority voted in favor of the ban. But despite the majority, they were 9 votes short of passing the bill.

This means that we need 9 more GOP senators to get anything done. And that can't even possibly happen until the next election (if there are 9 senate races that year, which there probably aren't.)

So we're paying 535 members of congress $250k per year each and they (with 100% certainty) can't pass any legislation. Great!

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Aaron Thomas wrote to All <=-

So we're paying 535 members of congress $250k per year each and they
(with 100% certainty) can't pass any legislation. Great!

Since 99% of what they do is screw everything up, this might be a good bargain.


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I was excited when I found out that Republicans won a majority in all 3 branches of the federal governemnt. And I thought we'd get a lot of

egislatio

passed as a result.

But now reality is sinking in: the filibuster rule dictates that a majority isn't a majority unless it's a bigger majority than what we've got.

Example: the senate took a vote on banning transgendered people in women's sports, and the majority voted in favor of the ban. But despite the majority, they were 9 votes short of passing the bill.

IIRC, Filibustering is when a member of congress takes up a large amount of
the discussion time to try to derail a vote.

This sounds like the 2/3rds majority rule. That is the way it has always
been for many votes and is nothing new.

So we're paying 535 members of congress $250k per year each and they (with

00

certainty) can't pass any legislation. Great!

If they were busy doing their real jobs and trying to find ways to
compromise that serve the country as a whole vs. trying to find things
that they know only their party will vote for, this wouldn't be an issue.
It has been too long since they have done so.


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So we're paying 535 members of congress $250k per year each and they (with 100% certainty) can't pass any legislation. Great!

Since 99% of what they do is screw everything up, this might be a good bargain.

Since it's Trump who is our "king" I won't complain, but I just want everyone to realize how worthless congress really is without a supermajority in the senate, and how unobtainable a supermajority in the senate actually is.

The only benefit that we have to our simple majority is that the Democrats can't enshrine any more garbage into our constitution for the time being.

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certainty) can't pass any legislation. Great!

If they were busy doing their real jobs and trying to find ways to compromise that serve the country as a whole vs. trying to find things that they know only their party will vote for, this wouldn't be an issue. It has been too long since they have done so.

A while back I remember saying "they should compromise, and we should compromise."

For example, I'd be willing to support transgender comic books if they'd be willing to support metal detection in public schools, but congress doesn't look at things that way. The Democrats do what George wants, and the
Republicans do whatever it takes to get re-elected.

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Aaron Thomas wrote to Dr. What <=-

Since it's Trump who is our "king" I won't complain, but I just want everyone to realize how worthless congress really is without a supermajority in the senate, and how unobtainable a supermajority in
the senate actually is.

Of course, we can argue that this is what the Founding Fathers wanted. They didn't want a gov't that could just do whatever it wanted. There had to be deals made, compromises, etc.

The only benefit that we have to our simple majority is that the
Democrats can't enshrine any more garbage into our constitution for the time being.

Exactly. If we can't make things better, I'll settle for not making things worse for now.


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Aaron Thomas wrote to Mike Powell <=-

For example, I'd be willing to support transgender comic books if
they'd be willing to support metal detection in public schools, but congress doesn't look at things that way. The Democrats do what George wants, and the Republicans do whatever it takes to get re-elected.

Sadly, that about sums things up.

But I think with Trump in office, it's shaking things up to the point where the career politicians are re-thinking their strategies.


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Of course, we can argue that this is what the Founding Fathers wanted. They didn't want a gov't that could just do whatever it wanted. There
had to be deals made, compromises, etc.

It makes good sense when you put it that way, but it's devolved into 535 paychecks.

The only benefit that we have to our simple majority is that the Democrats can't enshrine any more garbage into our constitution for t time being.

Exactly. If we can't make things better, I'll settle for not making things worse for now.

Yea it's fine, and they won't be slithering away with much for at least the next 4 years.

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Aaron Thomas wrote to Dr. What <=-

It makes good sense when you put it that way, but it's devolved into
535 paychecks.

Ya, politics was never intended to be a career. Yet it's one today.

Yea it's fine, and they won't be slithering away with much for at least the next 4 years.

And we have the mid-terms in less than 2 years now.


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