A stitch in time saves nine

This witty English saying has been quoted for at least 400 years.

"A stitch in time saves nine" means that a small rip in a garmet, should be repaired quickly or it will become a spacious tear. A one inch, almost unnoticeable snag, might become a nine inch unruly breach tomorrow.

As the whole world knows, the U.S. legislative process has a snag. It is being pulled apart more and more with the election of each new Congress. It seems as if every two years, our pathetically partisan practices become more persistent. My advice to those who survived a brutal 2014 campaign is to rechannel the considerable energy of their irritation and convert it into an unyielding commitment to represent their district in a civil manner.

Yes, maybe I am playing the role of Pollyanna, but I seriously believe that the chaos can be conquered; the pathological partisanship can be replaced by purposeful statesmanship. However, we must seize the moment. Sure, there are those who will think, "A future Congress will turn things around." Well, we cannot break this political plodding too soon because we have no way of knowing when it will be too late.

We have tussled over taxes, hassled over health care, and have been impolitic over immigration. Our election brawling has inspired nasty name-calling. All of these and other points of conflict have torn a hole in the fabric of our politics.

We must move now to close the hole. A stitch in time saves nine. If we want to put dysfunction to an end, we must put ourselves on the mend.