By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
JAN. 28, 2022 | A legal maxim attributed to British statesman William Gladstone is “Justice delayed is justice denied.” You might paraphrase this to also read: “Government delayed is government denied.”
These thoughts come to mind as we watch the changing scene, with its many versions of “government delayed.” Among them:
- Some 12 years after former Gwinnettian John Oxendine is accused of campaign violations, there is still no resolution of this charge. Oxendine won four terms as insurance commissioner before running for governor in 2010. The charges have hung over his head all these years.
- A local unexpected delay: people charged with crimes are sitting in jail all across Georgia, and may be innocent. The reason: the pandemic and Covid have halted criminal trials. Surely, but especially for the innocent, it is justice delayed, incarcerated in prison.
- Former Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck, after months and months of being charged, was convicted of improprieties in his election. All this time he was collecting his salary as a state officer, with him maintaining his innocence. It was mighty slow justice.
- Stalled in Congress is the investigation into the January 6 effort to overthrow the 2020 election verification. There are continued hearings by Congressional investigators, but so far major charges have not been advanced against those inciting this riot. Again, to many this necessarily slow investigation seems like “government delayed,” and harms our country.
- Finally, this week, the Fulton County District Attorney got a Superior Court judge to allow the creation of a special Grand Jury to investigate former President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the Georgia election results. Finally, there is some movement. To delay longer would only have made it more impossible to get at the evidence with dispatch. But why did it take nearly a year?
Perhaps you can cite your own incidents when slow-moving government delays immediate action and sometimes justice.
Perhaps the most important area where government is being delayed, and nothing is getting done, is in the halls of Congress. Because of the 50-50 split between the parties in the Senate, Republicans are stalling with all their might, not allowing even simple bills to get to the floor. President Biden’s plan to bolster many aspects of our government, such as passing a voting improvement plan, and items to bolster our infrastructure, are turned back by Republican shenanigans.
The main obstructionist in all this is Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who by his use of his Senate rules has already changed the way the Supreme Court is now made up. McConnell has said that Senate Republicans will offer no legislative agenda before the 2022 elections and that he is “100 percent” focused “on stopping” Biden. That in itself seems to be another way to say “government denied.” And now can McConnell block another Supreme Court nomination?
What most Americans want is a government at all levels which stands for a fair and impartial functioning of our nation, and for the just execution of the laws it has passed.
Back in the 50s and 60s, the Eisenhower and Kennedy years, people had a 75 percent trust in government. But these days, no matter the party, people have less than a 25 percent trust in government.
These and other such incidents of “government delayed and government being denied” create an atmosphere that “government isn’t working.” That creates distrust in the system and harms our nation.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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