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Political Reform
| Article
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19775 |
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Section : |
EDITORIAL
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| Issue
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3 / 1991 |
657 Words |
| Author
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Morton A. Kaplan
Editor and Publisher |
The Special Report in Current Issues this month deals with the Congress. There have been many suggestions for reform of Congress, including President Bush's suggestion that congressional tenure be limited to 12 years, and more far-reaching suggestions for the imposition of a parliamentary system of government that imposes responsible party behavior on elected officials.
Whatever merits parliamentary government has, it is simply not in the American tradition. I doubt that President Bush's proposed solution would make a dent in the problem. Congress would still be filled with members whose need for money to secure reelection would corrupt them by giving special access to those with deep pockets. The way in which Congress refuses to face this issue is underlined by the fact that not a single member of the Senate Ethics Committee has been willing to affirm one obvious fact: that a private meeting between a government official and five powerful senators is undue influence regardless of any other fact.
But the problem is not limited to Congress. Zbigniew Brzezinski recounts in his memoirs that the proceedings at the crucial Camp David meetings on the Middle East were affected by the then-approaching Presidential election. I believe that some of the problems in the Middle East today result from the mistakes made for electoral reasons at Camp David. Some mistakes of this type are unavoidable, for reasons of effective public opinion. For instance, few in the United States want to hear that reforms occurring in South Africa were already firmly en route in the absence of sanctions and that the improvements in black education, professional advancement, and entrepreneurial development necessary for stable democratic development have been badly injured by sanctions. But at least some major mistakes would be avoided if officials did not have to think of reelection.
Despite my hesitancy over any constitutional amendment, I think we should consider one that makes all public offices in the United States subject to a single six-year term. Those who desire politics as a career could still gain experience through a variety of posts at different levels of government. Although not all temptation would be removed, special interests would not be able to pick out those with key assignments who could protect their interests. At least the major sources of corruption would be removed. And most members of Congress would lack the possibility of career advancement within the political system, permitting them to think in terms of what is good for the country rather than in terms of what is good for
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