NEWSMAX: Citing privacy concerns about Americans’ tax data, Paul, a Republican and libertarian, has single-handedly blocked Senate action on treaties with Hungary, Switzerland and Luxembourg that have been signed by authorities on both sides, but have been awaiting Senate review since 2011…
Paul has said he is concerned that recent treaties would give foreign governments too much access to U.S. citizens’ tax information, a stance that has some support among like-minded conservative libertarians…
Paul recently declined to answer questions from a reporter in a Capitol hallway about the “hold” he has placed on the treaties. Under Senate rules, one senator can prevent a motion from reaching a vote on the Senate floor… (more)
EDITOR: Another example of the dysfunction of our federal government. Our Senate is composed of a hundred virtual dictators. Moreover, it takes sixty votes in non-tax related matters to pass anything. Yet neither the Republican or Democrat leadership, whichever has the majority, will introduce reform which can take place with a simple majority and thus along a party line vote, if necessary. This certainly is not what our founding fathers envisioned in the Constitution.
