[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 86 (Thursday, June 30, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 30, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       LEVEL OF ITS INCOMPETENCE

  (Mr. BALLENGER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, the Peter Principle states: ``In a 
hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.''
  A congressional corollary would be: ``In a democracy, after 40 years 
of one-party control, the legislative branch tends to rise to the level 
of its incompetence.'' We saw that level of incompetence earlier this 
week, when the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee gave up 
trying to find a commonsense, bipartisan resolution to health care 
reform.
  Mr. Dingell blamed Republicans for ``actively opposing efforts to 
craft a bipartisan bill,'' despite the fact that Republicans have 
actively worked in a bipartisan fashion to get a bill together. The 
Rowland-Bilirakis bill is the only bipartisan solution out there, and 
it is supported by the Republican leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, the Democrat leadership has become so partisan, after 40 
years of one-party rule, it will not even recognize a bipartisan effort 
when it sees one. The Democrat leadership has finally reached its level 
of incompetence, and the health care debate is just one indication of 
that fact.

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