Keep the Filibuster

Regarding the filibuster, not only should the United States Senate be commended for holding on to this dilatory parliamentary tactic, the states should press for its protection, for they cannot afford to lose a procedure which protects them from the tyranny of larger or smaller states.

A diligent minority of states, including New York and California, contain the larger part of the country's population. A dedicated majority of states represented by their pairs of Senators should not be allowed to coalesce into a faction that can overrun the minority of states who represent the majority of this country. Imagine the land-locked Midwestern states initiating an immense tax on ports to fund railways in the heartland. With the majority of states not touching any coastline, they could easily pass such onerous legislation to the hurt of the coastal states, if the Gulf states and the other sea-side states did not have the filibuster.

Since the Senate decides matters exclusively, like the ratification of international treaties as well as the appointment of federal judges, which affect every state, a super-majority should be required before appointing or imposing such leadership. The filibuster allows differing states to assert their opinion in the face of unwanted appointments, especially circuit or Supreme Court judges.

Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and even our first President George Washington noted that legislation should not be prodded and promoted by popular protest or the motivation of the masses. The Senate is the august, more elite institution in Congress, one where extended deliberation is encouraged by its members and required for the well-being of the country.

What this country needs now more than ever is traction and delay, especially in appropriations and military ventures. Not only should we applaud the Senate for holding on to a maneuver which politicians and pundits have deemed inconvenient and obsolete, the House of Representatives ought to consider reintroducing a similar procedure.