What priority conservation?

James W. Giltmier

Excerpt

RECENTLY, I heard a western senator expounding on the senate floor that what he dislikes most about the Congress is that the institution is always in a reactive posture. We never seem to have time to reflect and consider policy questions on a large scale, he complained. Members of Congress, he continued, are always knee-jerk reacting to the complaints of their constituents instead of worrying about what's good for the country.

The law of the jungle

Among the basic rules of politics and policy-making is this: Never lead a parade down main street if no one is following you. The 535 members of the Congress were not elected to sit on Capitol Hill and issue profound policy orations. They were elected to do or not do what their constituents want or do not want from government.

Politics and policy-making are a rough and tumble business. Politics is one of the few remaining professions where the law of the jungle still prevails. If you have the votes, you win …

Footnotes

James W. Giltmier. Washington, D.C., was, until recently, staff assistant to Senator John Melcher. He previously was the senior staff member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. This article is an edited version of his presentation during the keynote session of SCSA's 37th annual meeting in New Orleans. Louisiana.
Copyright 1982 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society

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