The Republicans have the bug in the corner, but they can't quite squash it. What the Representatives and Senators are choosing to ignore is the fact that in a democracy the will of the people trumps everything. The members of the Senate and House are starting to look less like representatives and more like a bunch of big, fat, junk-yard dogs fighting over a hunk of meat. These are just two examples of the role money and power play in our lives. Depth of conviction and purity of motive, unfortunately, reside on a sliding scale.
Temptation is more seductive when the payoff is big.
We figure out ways to reduce the stakes. As it stands now, the distribution of wealth and power, both within this country and between the northern and southern hemispheres, is becoming more polarized every day. As more and more assets, political and financial, fall into fewer hands, the potential for huge economic or political windfalls increases and with it the temptation to do wrong. Correcting this situation in a free-market economy is delicate but necessary work. Every tax or campaign finance reform bill that comes along is an opportunity to ameliorate the problem.