No more free thinkers in Madison

This is the state of today’s politics. Democrats and Republicans can’t agree on anything. Even if they agree with the goal, they can’t agree on how to get there. Case in point is a debate in Madison this week about birth control. Surprisingly, Republican lawmakers find themselves in the unusual position of advocating for greater access to birth control. Their bill would allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control pills. But no Democrat supports the measure. Seems they have their own separate plan to broaden birth control access, one which places fewer restrictions on pharmacists. Couldn’t they just find some common ground and work together on one bill? Apparently not. But the most glaring example of party members marching in lock-step with their leaders is the debate over one of their own. State Rep. Jimmy Anderson is a quadriplegic who represents the Fitchburg area. He is a Democrat who has asked that special accommodations be made, allowing him to call in to committee meetings because of his physical limitations. The leader of the Legislature, a Republican says no, even accusing Anderson of political grandstanding. Anderson circulated a letter asking his colleagues in the Legislature if they support his position. All 35 fellow Democratic lawmakers signed the letter. And every single one of the 63 Republicans in the Legislature refused to sign it. Are they even human? Or humane? They are acting like robots, programmed to do only as their leaders insist. Maybe we should elect robots to serve. Because artificial intelligence would at least be more intelligence than our lawmakers are showing now.