Let's Get to The Business of Helping People
By: U.S. Congressman Lincoln Davis

As we approach the second session of the 109th Congress, reform tops the legislative agenda. In the wake of recent reports about cronyism, lobbyist scandals, and corrupt politicians, the need to reform and improve how Congress operates is certainly needed. However, it will be a great disservice to the country if Congress does not also work to transform and improve the current state of American life. This can be achieved if Congressional reforms usher in a new era of cooperation between the two political parties. Only by working together can Congress provide the country with a government focused solely on the best interests of all Americans.

The current culture of elected officials working only within their own party has created the ethical lapses and corruption that now hangs over the United States' Capitol like a dark cloud. Our political differences have blinded us for too long from realizing the true purpose of our offices-to create a better country for the American people. When one party operates on their own without considering the other side's ideas, then the American people get left behind. Meanwhile, the temptation to bend and break the rules becomes overwhelming. Currently, important legislation is voted on without Members of Congress having time to read the bills and figure out the cost to the taxpayer, Conference Committees operate behind closed doors and special favors for special interests are slipped into bills in the dead of the night. Additionally, Members of Congress take bribes and negotiate for jobs in the private sector while writing bills that affect their future employer's business, and the House Ethics Committee does not meet. This results in legislation that, at the very least, does not improve the lives of average Americans.

In fact, over the last four years Congress has passed hundreds of bills, yet over the same period average income and personal savings have declined. Meanwhile, consumer debt and the jobless rate have risen, the percentage of families in poverty and the number of people lacking health insurance has increased, the cost of college, gas, and owning a home has also increased, and so too have the budget and trade deficits. By working alone too many people, whose spirit, determination, and skills are vital to America's safety and success, get ignored. This is not a government any of us wants.

The good news is that together we can do better. Together we can have an open and honest government that addresses the needs of the average American. We can toughen the rules on lobbying, end privately funded travel and lobbyist gifts, we can end pay-to-play politics and dead of the night special interests provisions. Instead, we can have an open, responsive government that works to address our country's most pressing needs from healthcare to the budget and trade deficits, from winning the war on terror to securing our borders and addressing illegal immigration, from creating good jobs to improving personal savings and making college affordable for all Americans.

Some may dismiss this as idealistic, but I believe tackling the major issues of the day is the reason every Member of Congress was elected. Whether or not folks want to admit it, the solutions to our most pressing problems will only be solved through cooperation. No party has all the good ideas.

It is time we acknowledge that we are one nation, and we have more in common than we think. We must move beyond the different fringes of the ideological spectrum and embrace our common ground in the middle. We are a diverse country with many different ideas, values, and passions, but we must never forget that we are one country-we are all Americans. It is time to find the spirit that united us in the past during times of crisis, and conjure up that spirit so that together we can stand, face, and respond to all our challenges. You can be sure that I will continue to work with my colleagues, Democrat and Republican alike, to find common ground and enact policies that improve the state of life in America.

Lincoln Davis represents the Fourth Congressional District of Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives.