For many Americans, the start of the New Year is a time to pause and reflect. We take stock of our blessings and make New Year’s resolutions about how we can improve.
I believe it is appropriate for us to pause and reflect on the state of our union.
Americans are asking serious questions about what is happening in government, and they are right to be disappointed by what they see. Never before in our history have we seen such corruption. It’s not only the scandals at the House, Senate and White House that are contributing to the corruption, but the corrupt priorities of lawmakers, too.
Washington has become a place where special interests rule. It’s now a city where the powerful and the well-connected get taken care of and everyone else gets left behind.
The problem is Washington is run by leaders who put their own political interests ahead of America’s interests. Wined and dined by their well-connected friends, these individuals have forgotten who they really work for.
There’s a price to pay for this corruption, and it’s the American people who are forced to pay it. Year after year, they see special interests get the perks, while their priorities go unaddressed.
Consider 2005. Last year, Congress did not pass a single item of legislation to make health care more affordable, to create high-paying, quality jobs, to help seniors live more secure retirements or to help middle-class families make ends meet.
Now, look what the Republican Congress did manage to do. It supported billions of dollars in tax breaks for special interests and multimillionaires and paid for them by cutting student loans and health care for seniors.
Is it any wonder Americans are fed up with how Washington works?
The good news is Americans do not have to accept more of the same in 2006. Just as January is a time for identifying problems, it is also a time for coming forward with solutions to solve them.
This New Year, Democrats resolve to clean up Washington, so America’s government can once again focus on the priorities of America’s people. We have a plan to put an end to business as usual in the nation’s capital. Democrats want to shine a bright light on the relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers and clean up the system of quid pro quo and pay to play politics that gave rise to Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay.
Honest leadership isn’t a partisan goal. It is the key to a stronger union. When leaders work together in a bipartisan manner and put progress ahead of politics, there is no limit to how far America can go.
We can have an economy that creates good-paying jobs and pays down the debt. We can kick our dependence on foreign oil. We can help middle-class families make ends meet, and we can protect Americans, whether the threat is terrorism, avian flu or a disaster like Hurricane Katrina.
In a few weeks, President Bush will deliver his State of the Union Address. When he does, I want you to ask yourself, is this the best America can do – a government where the special interests come before the people? Or can we do better for your family and friends?
I believe we can do better, and it’s pessimistic to suggest anything less. The truth is, our government can make a difference for all Americans. It only takes leaders who will put people, not politics, first.
U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., is the Senate Democratic leader.
