It is obvious that the primary point of the gridlock in Congress is Sen. Harry Reid. He has refused to even allow the Senate to vote up or down on a number of bills, not the least of which is the annual budget as required by the Budget Bill of 1974. Perhaps he needs a little nudge.
If he refuses to do his job then the House of Representatives should initiate impeachment proceedings against him. He can be charged with high crimes and misdemeanors.
According to Wikipedia, the generally accepted definition of this is as follows: The charge of high crimes and misdemeanors covers allegations of misconduct peculiar to officials, such as perjury of oath, abuse of authority, bribery, intimidation, misuse of assets, failure to supervise, dereliction of duty, conduct unbecoming and refusal to obey a lawful order. Offenses by officials also include ordinary crimes, but perhaps with different standards of proof and punishment than for nonofficials, on the grounds that more is expected of officials by their oaths of office.
There is a precedent for the impeachment of a senator. On July 7, 1797, Sen. William Blount (Tennessee) was impeached. The charges were dismissed Jan. 14, 1799.
Even if this is unsuccessful, it might create the impetus needed to make Reid bring the bills before the Senate so that we could at least vote on the proposals, and not allow President Barack Obama a pocket veto without having to take the blame himself.
Bud Allan
Kihei
