Furlong: lack of compromise threatening U.S. democracy

The U.S. Capitol on Capitol Hill in Washington, is seen through a maze of twigs and tree branches Saturday, March 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

LOGAN – He is a Latin American specialist and Utah State University political science professor William Furlong says for the most part Latin American countries are doing better today than they have for some time.

On KVNU’s Crosstalk show Friday, Furlong said the people of Venezuela were divided on how they feel about the late Hugo Chavez because to some people Chavez was tyrannical and yet he also tried to improve the lives of the poor.

“We criticize Latin America a lot, but in my history and study of Latin America I see us heading down the road of Peru in the 1960s or Chile in the 1970s,” Furlong said. “The thing that brought down those two democracies was Congress’ inability to function, divisions in Congress, not working with the president, the president not able to pass his policies because Congress refused to do so.”

Furlong also said that always resulted in military coups. He sees the same thing happening here, although it won’t bring the nation down. Furlong said we should remember that the Constitution itself was full of compromises.

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