Observations©
By Donald S. Conkey

Will the great congressional compromise of 2011, over the national debt ceiling, soon be forgotten? Maybe! And maybe not! What happens following this ‘great compromise’ will depend on how the parties to the compromise honor their commitments or if either party, or both, reneges on their commitments. History tells us that the actions of congressional leaders have not always been ‘trustworthy.’ No wonder Americans have so little trust in their Congress.

The proof of the pudding for this compromise will be determined by members of Congress, whether or not they will get a handle on the debt and bring spending under control. If they don’t America as it has existed for the past 225 years will vanish, over time, from history, as have many other nations who have ignored the principles of governing laid down by Jefferson’s ‘Creator’ via the Founding Fathers.

America’s future is going to be determined by this 2011compromise just as surely as the compromises made during another hot summer in 1787 determined whether America would become a nation or if their new experiment of rule of law by the people would fail and the people would continue to be governed by ‘Ruler’s Law’ as they had been prior to 1776. Political compromise is a fact of life in all free governments. Tyrants don’t compromise –their word is the law and the people are their subjects.

In February 1787 the Second Congress authorized a call for a Constitutional Convention to begin on May 17, 1787 in Philadelphia. This call was authorized because chaos reigned throughout the new nation. States were fighting other states over fishing rights, plus many other issues. The Articles of Confederation, their governing document, was weak and could not deal with the growing turmoil that was threatening to tear their new country apart; much like the current administration is tearing America apart today using class warfare to promote their socialistic agenda.

A congressional call went out to the states to send delegates to the convention. Twelve states responded with 55 delegates. Rhode Island did not sent delegates. For the Convention to be successful most believed George Washington needed to attend the convention but it was uncertain if he could because of health issues. He attended, arriving on May 17. But because other delegates had not arrived by May 17 the convention convened two weeks late. This two week delay allowed Washington and James Madison, the driving energy behind the convention, to meet and discuss the issues. Both agreed the Articles had to go, but how given the mandate of the Congress to only “amend” the Articles.

Madison had done his homework and came with a prepared agenda. Washington agreed with Madison’s ideas and together they set out to implement the needed changes. Washington was elected convention chairman and the first order of business was to establish the convention’s rules, rules that could not happen in today’s political atmosphere. All windows were sealed and covered and all delegates were sworn to secrecy and agreed not to talk to the media. No media was allowed inside the convention.

Soon after convening it became apparent there were major differences of opinions among the delegates. The delegates quickly divided up into two political groups; those representing large states and those representing small states. The issue: one man one vote. Afraid the small states would be gobbled up by the big states the small states refused to budge from their opposition to Madison’s one man one vote position. After several weeks of heated exchanges a compromise was reached. The compromise: members of the House of Representatives would be elected by one man one vote and represent 30,000 citizens and each state, regardless of size, would have two Senators who would be elected by the state’s legislative body. The senate represented states against big government until the 17th Amendment was ratified.

There were a number of other sticky issues, most of which were resolved by compromise without great fanfare. But one issue, slavery, while compromised and put off for 20 years, never fully healed and led to the great division of the north and south, and to the Civil War in 1860.

The great congressional compromise of 2011 has all the markings leading to a similar national divide, this time between progressive welfare states and conservative states where work is enthroned as a way of life. Americans need to pray to Jefferson’s Creator that the divide created by this compromise will heal without leading to bankruptcy and to America’s eventual self-destruction.