The last month has demonstrated once again the genius behind our Springfield Charter.

While I don’t often comment on national politics, the recent debacle regarding the debt ceiling is a perfect example of why Springfield’s City Council is, and should remain, non-partisan.

In Washington, D.C., both parties have locked into partisan positions that resemble the old Miller Lite commercials:  one side yelling “Tastes great!” while the other screams back “Less filling.”  However, this time—instead of watching a goofy 30-second commercial—the actors were playing with an economic Armageddon.

On a national scale, our political parties have taken a great leap—not forward—but to the fringes of their philosophies.  And you simply can’t govern from the fringe.  You can rule—as Hugo Chavez has proven in Venezuela—but you can’t govern.

The Democrats have locked into their standard positions and are fear-mongering.  “Social Security will be eliminated,” they say. “And Medicare as we know it will be changed.”

The Republicans have locked into their standard positions and are fear-mongering. “No tax increases because they’ll bankrupt businesses,” they say. “The deficit will cause our economy to collapse.”

And, you know, they’re both right . . . up to a point.  If we keep going the way we are, Social Security will be eliminated—not by any political posturing, but simply because we won’t have enough workers paying in to the system to cover the folks drawing out of the system.  Ditto medical costs and Medicare.

Furthermore, businesses—especially small businesses—are trying their best to pull out of this recession.  Additional taxes—whether they’re in the form of new taxes, increased tax rates, or additional regulatory requirements—are one more straw loaded on the camel’s back.  And I hate to think of the deficit and tax burden that my two daughters will inherit.

And while I’m venturing into commentary about a national issue, let me quote one of our Senators:

“Both parties contributed to our current economic situation, and we'll need both parties to work together to find a way out. I hope my friends on both sides of the aisle will join me in working to find a solution that's in the best interest of families and job creators in Missouri and across America.”

We can argue until the cows come up to be milked as to whether Senator Blunt has helped or impeded the situation.  That’s not the issue.  The issue is that someone on the national stage has figured out that you can’t govern from the fringe.  The two parties need to meet somewhere near the center and get this debt ceiling worked out.

Thankfully, our Council has been able to lay aside partisan issues (at least for the last couple of years) and work together to find some type of solution.  Almost every solution leaves both parties wishing for more, but maybe that’s just the definition of compromise.  And compromise is what our political system is built on.