Former Representative Frank lectures on U.S. government's "vicious cycle"

A “vicious cycle” plagues America’s ineffective government by causing frustrated Americans to vote based on empty promises for candidates who still do not serve the people, retired U.S. Representative Barnett “Barney” Frank said at a Monday lecture.

Frank served the 4th district of Massachusetts as a Democrat from 1981-2012, championing civil rights and acting as the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee from 2007-2011. Barney was also a co-sponsor of the Dodd-Frank Act, which called for sweeping reform in the U.S. financial industry. He was also the first Congressman to come out as gay and marry a person of the same sex.

Anger comes from frustration in the government, a system that is supposed to work for the people and provide for them. As voters scramble for representatives that will work for them, these same representatives use this anger at the system and give empty promises that are hardly ever fulfilled, which only leaves voters feeling even more angry than before. Frank said this “vicious cycle” can only be broken by giving more assistance and help to those middle class American citizens that have lost faith in their own government.

Anger toward the government has become an important tool for the Republican party, as they denounce the large central government that the United States boasts in an attempt to garner the votes of those who are frustrated with the government, he said. Then, due to the sorry state of bipartisanship in the House and Senate, he added, nothing ever gets solved and the American people are only left feeling even more frustrated with their government.

To laughter from the audience, Frank said the Republican party had become upset with their own speaker for “the conspiracy of doing government,” implying that Republicans rarely do their job.

“When I became influential in the government, the government quit being influential on the people,” he said.

Frank noted a main issues with the way the United States’ budget is spent is the exorbitant military spending budget. Starting from the end of World War Two, the United States has put so much money into the military in an attempt to be the ultimate interventionist country.

He pointed to 9/11, saying that the U.S. government was not responsible for the events of that day, yet it exploited the opportunity to gain even more funding for the military budget.

The budget is unnecessarily high, Frank said. The amount of money the military spends keeping those troops in other countries only adds to the bill, Frank said. This exorbitant spending presents a problem because it takes even more money away from social programs that seek to diminish inequality by improving the lives of middle and lower class Americans.

Inserting military into other countries does not solve social issues and only roots U.S. soldiers in those areas for decades. He cited examples of troops staying for decades in Europe, South Korea and, more recently, the Middle East.

Reducing inequality is an important step for voters to regain confidence and trust in the federal government because the process relieves some of voters’ anger and increases happiness.

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Frank also asserted that another waste of taxpayer dollars is the “war on drugs.” He pointed to the unusually high number of black males incarcerated for petty drug charges and also said that racism is the worst he has seen it in his lifetime.

Frank spoke in McCosh 50 to a nearly full auditorium. The lecture was sponsored by the Wilson School.