A Voice of Reason in the Senate?

Finally, from the midst of endless propaganda, saber-rattling, and ranting about taxes, I hear a voice of reason coming from the U.S. Senate!

I had barely heard of Senator Tom Coburn before, but I will keep track of him now.  Apparently Senator Coburn, a Republican from Oklahoma, is willing to call out the extreme partisans on BOTH sides of the political aisle for incompetence and/or dereliction of their duty to run the country with integrity.  He even criticizes powerful right-wing lobbyist Grover Nordquist – a radical act that most Republicans would never consider if they wanted to be reelected.  

Even more impressive, Senator Coburn seems to have a firm understanding of how to fix the decades-old tax debacle, and a willingness to work in a bipartisan way to get the job done.

Here are the highlights, courtesy of CNN.
     -  The most dysfunctional part of federal policy is the tax code.
     -  Republicans defend loopholes, and betray their past convictions with huge deficit spending and borrowing.
     -  Democrats falsely claim that taxing the rich more heavily will solve U.S. debt problems.
     -  Senator Coburn argues for grand compromise on tax reform along lines of President Reagan's 1986 tax reform.

I am very impressed.  I feel a tiny little bit of hope that maybe wiser, more patriotic leaders in the Congress may yet prevail and keep us from total bankruptcy. 

Two questions:

(1) Am I grasping at a straw, so desperate that I will jump at anyone who seems to have a way out of this mess?  Or is Senator Coburn onto something? 

(2) Coburn for Vice President, anyone?

I know Gryphem is not usually a gateway website, but I encourage you to read Senator Coburn’s comments for yourself.  The article is entitled, “Why America Needs a Tax Reformation” by Tom Coburn, April 17, 2012.  Find it at  http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/17/opinion/coburn-tax-reform/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Gryphem