Who Made Compromise a Dirty Word?

As an outsider on matters political, I can only stare in wonder at the rubbish coming out of politicians mouths these days, especially on the right wing. A recent quote attributed to one Republican candidate is, "I don't compromise." And yet this candidate claims alliance with the ideals of the men who founded the United States. It's sad that history gets twisted and forgotten in the midst of political campaigns. If those same founders of the U.S. had not been willing to compromise, these candidates would probably not be running for office.

After the Articles of Confederation were accepted as the "law of the land", the U.S. floundered. These initial efforts gave quite a bit of power to the states rather than the Federal Government. As such, nothing was stable. The new country was left in a daze. It took compromise on all sides to create a new constitution. Yes, the same Constitution that the right wingers look to as the "be-all, end-all", even though they ignore it whenever convenient.

Today, the left looks weak as they try to compromise to get things done, and the right refuses. It is as though the past doesn't matter, and the Republicans want to keep trying to pound that square peg into the round hole until one or the other shatters. Relatively harmless when talking about a wooden block; dangerous when running a country.

Whenever I have to meet with others to make decisions as a group, the first thing we do is look to the rules to see what they say. Then, we discuss matters, allowing all sides to have their say. Finally, we decide, and the minority goes along with the decision of the majority, representing a united front. However, by the time the vote is taken, all sides have been heard, and all views are considered compared to the rules, the needs of the whole, and the wisest course to take. Things get done and compromise isn't seen as negative. We don't compromise when it comes to the standards we have to follow. We compromise when the views of others are taken into account as important.

Our rule book in this case is the Bible. We will not compromise on that. However, where there is room for discussion, we discuss.

Government officials, you have your rule books. If the rules need changing, there is a method in place for changing the rules. If they don't, then look to the best interests of everyone rather than just your "followers" and those that throw money at your campaign. The so-called leaders of this country are a laughing-stock for the rest of the world. The reason is simple: the vocal minority have made the word "compromise" synonymous with "surrender". It just isn't so.