I have a simple question. How is it that one United States Senator can block legislation that millions of Americans are in need of. For several days, Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky, apparently on a whim, decided to put a "hold" on a bill that would extend unemployment and other benefits to hundreds of thousands of Americans. The leader of the Senate, Harry Reid was forced to plead with Senator Bunning to change his mind. Meanwhile, thousands of Americans were in danger of losing their income while Mr. Bunning had his temper tantrum. This is no way to run a republic. The Senate needs to end all of this outmoded parliamentary nonsense, including the filibuster and start passing bills with simple majorities and up or down votes.