Reaching across the aisle (NOT)

"In the past, our side reaching across the aisle has not led to agreement as much as it has led to a capitulation of principles."

Earlier today I wrote an article about how fractured our nation has become. How we don't get along on many different fronts. In many different areas. On most any topic. Now I am going to walk on the other side of the street. I am going to opine why it is good not to get along on some things. In particular, government. And specifically, I am talking about the tried and tested cliche, "reaching across the aisle".

I am about to get very transparent. Down and dirty transparent. I hate that expression. It is like nails on the chalkboard to me. "Reaching across the aisle" has led to nothing but bloated government and a gargantuan debt. I want agreement with the other side to come only on our side of the street. I have grown tired and weary of always making deals on their turf. On their side, using their principles. And I am not just talking about the federal government - I am talking about all levels of government.

I am not saying we hate the people on the other side. On the contrary - they are fellow Americans. Somewhere, they have just strayed off the correct path. It is incumbent upon us to keep the communication lines open so we may convince them, standing in the arena of ideas, that we are right and they are not. It is not really hard to do - common sense and history is on our side. Socialism has failed over and over again, whereas liberty and free enterprise has elevated the standard of living in many countries worldwide.

In crafting governance, we need to stand our ground using grounded principles. We have left too many bedrock principles laying on the ground just so we can "go along and get along". We have matched the other side dollar for dollar in letting government grow out of control. We have agreed with them in how many new and expensive programs are needed. We have sided with them in the stark refusal to put every existing program under the microscope. Put every program under the microscope to test each of them for continued viability and/or redundancy. It makes me sick how we have handled governance in the past. Enough is enough!

From what I am hearing from the new Speaker, I have a glimmer of hope that things might change. We certainly did not get off on the right foot with the GFY 2016 funding bill. Time will soon tell if that bill was an abnormally, or if talk continues to be cheap coming from the Speaker.

All I know is this. The time is now. The place is here. No more screwing around. Time for men and women of principle to come forth and be counted. We need to make 2016 a year future historians will refer to as the year of the pivot. The turnaround. The future with a promise, not a future with no promise.