Senator Richard Shelby, Republican of Alabama, has just used the power of senatorial privilege to put a hold on Obama nominees for various positions, and also on legislation for financial regulation, because he is angry that the new Obama budget proposal will cause loss of programs that benefit his home state.
Shelby is not the first senator to do this, but the practice that allows individuals senators to put a “hold” on nominees or legislation is an outrage that must be reformed. It creates stalemate and deadlock in the Senate, and along with the threat of filibusters to bottle up action and prevent what the majority wants, sometimes as many as 59 wish, is simply making the Senate look like a dinosaur which fails to represent the will of the American people!
Wnile the Senate was designed to apply the “brakes” to the sometimes rushed actions of the House of Representatives, it has become a body which has lost a lot of its luster as the greatest legislative body in the world! The nation deserves to expect more from the Senate and its members! Everyone has the right to their views, but not as individuals or as a minority to stifle democracy and the will of the majority!