After the election, where are we now?

OK, now what? Well, after all the campaigning, charges, counter charges, lies and almost lies, what one candidate did or did not understand, and then the concession and victory speeches, where are we now?

Well, I’ll tell you where I’d like it to be. Only time, especially two periods (the next 60 days and then the first six months of next year) will really tell. I want to first offer my congratulations to the winners and especially the losers. The first group for winning but more importantly, and really for Utah candidates, the second group for getting in the arena in this reddest of red states.

For Senator Hatch, I’m really looking forward to his leading the fight for Utah values for the rest of the nation. With his being the most senior Republican senator now, he gets to exercise that seniority by picking his committee assignments, his new office (if he wants one), and moving to a front-row seat in the chamber. Since he’s not in the majority party, he won’t be chairing the finance committee (at least for two years) and any other efforts at bipartisanship will solely depend on the respect and esteem he’s held in by the majority. Otherwise, that seniority thing, good for Republican caucuses and maybe state patronages, really isn’t going to be worth much.

The gridlock can be broken but who’s man or women enough to be first? Senator McConnell indicated, oh so slightly, and Representative Boehner, that they might now be willing to talk, if not really discuss, our problems. Wonder if McConnell’s being up for reelection in two years has anything to do with this minute change in attitude. We’ll see.

Rep. Steve LaTourette, R-Wisc., is retiring. As he stated last Sunday on TV. One reason he’s leaving is because of the animosity and general open dislike members from each party have toward members of the other party. Any compromise, movement to get something done, show progress, actual attempt to do the public’s business, is met with scorn, ostracism, and withholding of privileges.

One thing he said, which was echoed also by Sen Hatch on a different show (KSL), was how hard they worked. He, be it in Washington, working from "sun up to sun down" and Sen Hatch, getting up "before 5" be it there or in Utah, the members do work. Sorry, the only thing I can offer is an old saying of "don’t confuse efforts with results."

Paul (or depending on your religious persuasion, Apostle Paul or St Paul) wrote one of my favorite passages. In I Corinthians, he talked of "when I was a child…" and "when I became an adult…" and most telling, the three virtues of most important to his new religion, those being faith, hope, and love.

I hope the president, the Congress, and the 113th Congress will review this writing of Paul and keep in mind what he said of the three was the most important. The United States took immense pride in being a shining example to the world of our democracy. We didn’t use rocks, stones, fire, swords, or guns whenever we changed government or changed political power. It was orderly and peaceful but most importantly, whenever and however we did it, we ended up with a functioning government with people performing a public service for the benefit and good of the general welfare of our citizens. That’s broken and it needs to be fixed, fast. It would be great to see the United States become the example of how a country, in every sense of culture, economics, society, politics, and government, retake our previous position of something that should be held up as a great example to be emulated.

The ladies and gentlemen of Congress need to put aside their state and party and think only of the country for two years. They need to consider themselves in the Greek sense of ‘charismata’ where we get charisma from. This however means a designation of special skills and talents, spiritual gifts, to be utilized for the "benefit of others." They were chosen if not by God but by the people because that had a ‘gift of grace’ to perform.

Let’s solve problems, correct situations, and improve our quality of life. George Will believes that our system is working the way it was designed; that this gridlock was built in by the founding fathers and is what the citizens want. I couldn’t disagree more.

Orrin’s campaign slogan had "It’s Utah’s time to lead." Well, Senator Hatch and Representative Bishop, to paraphrase Paul again, it’s time ‘to put away childish things" and put that charismata to use. It’s time to step up, show that most important virtue, love of country, and set the example. What do you say?