Lesson of the Year

In 2012 I concluded
That my vote for the House is deluded,
Since the shape of my district
Regrettably IS tricked
To keep the opponent excluded.

As we count down the hours of 2012 with no deal reached in Washington on the basic questions of government revenues and expenditures, many wonder how it is possible for the Congress to remain so deadlocked in the face of a clear electoral outcome for the nation as a whole. The answer is, in part, that members of the House of Representatives do not answer to the nation as a whole, or even to the whole of their own districts. Rather, because most Congressional districts are gerrymandered to ensure the continued representation of the incumbent party, the typical house member feels most beholden to the extreme elements in that party who participate most intensely in the primary election.

In 2013, we must resolve to undo this gerrymandering, as a first step toward truly representative government.