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Article published Dec 26, 2004
Senators should not let tradition keep them from necessary
changes
South Carolina senators should not let claims of
tradition or more deliberation dissuade them from changing their rules.Senate
leaders have agreed on a package of rules changes that would limit filibusters
and make it easier to overcome them. These changes would lead to a more
efficient and more democratic body.The senators who resist the change are simply
unwilling to let go of the power to bring their chamber to a halt.They defend a
system that lets a single senator obstruct the flow of legislation. They seek to
protect a system under which a handful of senators can prevent the entire Senate
from taking a vote on pending legislation.That happened in the previous
legislative session. Senators opposed to a bill that would allow primary
enforcement of the state's seat belt law filibustered the bill in the Senate.
They not only blocked consideration of the seat belt bill, they also blocked a
number of other bills waiting for Senate action.The Senate did not fulfill its
duty of voting on this legislation because a minority of senators used the
filibuster rules to thwart those votes.One of those senators, Jake Knotts,
R-Lexington, is now defending the current system against the rule changes.When
Knotts filibustered the seat belt bill, he addressed the chamber about the
issue. He said all that he had to say about the seat belt bill, but still he
wanted to deny his fellow senators the ability to vote on the bill.So he started
to talk about cheese. "I like a block of cheese you can eat with crackers," he
told the Senate. He told them that he prefers yellow cheese. "White cheese is
too expensive," he declared.This is the kind of deliberation Knotts defends in
the Senate.He says he wants to "make sure all legislation gets its fair hearing
and is well thought out." But senators heard everything he had to say on the
seat belt bill, every argument he could make against it. But, because he knew
the bill would pass, Knotts still didn't want to allow a vote. So he took up the
Senate's time with his cheese discussion, anything to keep the Senate from
acting on the bill he wanted to kill.Senate Minority Leader John Land wants
similar filibusters next year. He says several of the governor's plans are wrong
and "should be filibustered and killed."He is wrong. They should be debated and
voted on. If he can convince his fellow senators that the ideas are wrong, they
will be killed. But the majority of the people's elected representatives should
make the decision, not John Land on his own, or with a handful of
colleagues.This kind of obstruction shouldn't be allowed in a representative
democracy. All arguments for or against pending legislation should be heard. But
once they've been heard, a vote should be taken.All the talk about tradition and
"a more deliberative body" is merely cover for preserving the right of a few to
thwart the majority.