Washington at work! What our votes got us.

Normally, I would write something here that would expose the abject failure of our elected officials, but someone has already beat me to it.  I found this article in the Wall Street Journal and I think it pretty much summarizes exactly what’s wrong with Washington.  I put in my own comments when I thought it was necessary.

I must say however, that come November, if we re-elect one incumbent politician, than we have no right to bitch about how things never get done.  Remember, the people give government it’s power, not the other way around.  Enjoy.

By ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON
August 19, 2008; Page A1

WASHINGTON — The 110th Congress, whose term officially ends in January, hasn’t passed any spending bills or attacked high gasoline prices. But it has used its powers to celebrate watermelons and to decree the origins of the word “baseball.”  What? 

Barring a burst of legislative activity after Labor Day, this group of 535 men and women will have accomplished a rare feat. In two decades of record keeping, no sitting Congress has passed fewer public laws at this point in the session — 294 so far — than this one. That’s not to say they’ve been idle. On the flip side, no Congress in the same 20 years has been so prolific when it comes to proposing resolutions — more than 1,900, according to a tally by the nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense.

With the mostly symbolic measures, Congress has saluted such milestones as the Idaho Potato Commission’s 70th anniversary and recognized soil as an “essential natural resource.” As legislation on gasoline prices, tax fixes and predatory lending languish, Congress has designated May 5-9 as National Substitute Teacher Recognition Week, and set July 28 as the Day of the American Cowboy.  What the hell is the matter with these people?  We have seen $4.00+ dollar a gallon gas and dramatically rising food costs and they’re talking about “Day of the American Cowboy”.  I cannot believe the audasity of these people!

The resolutions, which generally don’t carry the force of law, can originate in either the House or Senate. However, some types of resolutions establish the federal budget, authorize the president to go to war, or condemn actions such as the genocide in Darfur. Even among the 294 laws passed thus far, many were symbolic in nature. Many of the post offices named by this Congress honor servicemen and -women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the 435-member House, fully one-quarter of the workweek is typically devoted to debating and passing symbolic measures.  One-quarter of the workweek is devoted to debating and passing symbolic measures?  They only work 3 1/2 days a week as it is!  So basically they spend almost an entire day doing nothing!  Why do we keep these people in office?  Their asses should be working 10 hour days and 5 days a week until these problems of ours are solved.   

Watermelon Month

Democratic Rep. Charlie Wilson of Ohio, a fourth-generation undertaker, sponsored a National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day. Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss, whose home state of Georgia has 24,000 acres planted in watermelon, pushed a resolution establishing July as National Watermelon Month.

“As Mark Twain once said, ‘When one has tasted watermelon he knows what the angels eat.’ I encourage my colleagues to join me in acknowledging the wisdom of Mark Twain by supporting this resolution,” Sen. Chambliss said on the Senate floor. The only problem: July is about 14 days late for a Watermelon Month. The crops come in in mid June.  These two idiots couldn’t open an umbrella!  How do you, with a straight face, go back home and tell your constituients, “I know the price of food and gas are crushing you, but I want you to rest easy knowing that July will now be known as “National Watermelon Month”.  This is the model of exactly what is wrong with Washington.  I have a question; When these two guys got up and proposed this crap, did anyone have the courage or the commonsense to stand up and say “we have more important things to deal with Senator, so sit your silly ass down and start being part of the solution”?  Where is the leadership?  If someone in a board meeting stood up and proposed something this stupid, while their company was facing bankruptcy, they would be out on the street in a second!  What baffoons!  

Democrats say the 294 public laws represent a solid record of achievement. Since the party took control of Congress in 2007, they’ve led passage of the largest expansion in college aid in 60 years, increased the minimum wage for the first time in a decade, and extended unemployment benefits. They passed the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.  Yip, Yip, Yahoo!  So now, your kids will graduate owing 100K in student loans.  Good luck trying to pay it off with that minimum wage increase.  Oh, and thanks for taking measures at protecting our country.  

Congress has passed a $168 billion economic-stimulus package, a housing-rescue package providing as much as $300 billion to refinance mortgages for people in danger of losing their homes, and the most sweeping product-safety legislation in a generation.  Stimulus package?  They gave us our own money back for God’s sake!  This wasn’t a stimulus, it’s a rebate, and don’t get me started on the housing bailout.  This rescue package GUARANTEES that Fannie and Freddie will be nationalized in the next few years.  This is the first step to socialism.  First you regulate it, then you control it.  

“We also recognize that we have more to do, and we will do so, both in the remaining weeks of this year’s Congress and next year when we will have expanded Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate, working with President Barack Obama,” says Brendan Daly, spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California.  “We recognize that we have more to do, and we will do so.”  Really Captain Obvious?  What was your first clue?  Gas prices.  Inflation.  Housing Crisis.  Job losses.  High Taxes.  The problem is what they will do.  Pay attention to the statement “expanded majorities” and “President Barack Obama”.  Translated:  We’re not going to do jack until after the election, at which time, we will push our socialist agenda, raise your taxes, empower terrorists, destroy the economy, protect the polar bears, force you to ride bikes, restrict your speech (fairness doctrine), redistribute your wealth, reward laziness and run this country right into the ground.    

Congress, which won’t return to session until September, has yet to pass any 2009 appropriations bills, even though funding the federal budget is its official function. Before leaving town for summer break in August, lawmakers failed to establish August as Heat Stroke Awareness Month, blowing the deadline to make it official.  “Although funding the federal budget is its official function.”  THEY DIDN’T DO IT!  THAT MEANS THAT THEY DIDN’T DO THEIR JOB!  IF ANY OF US BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS?  DO THE WORDS “YOU’RE FIRED” RING A BELL?    The arrogance of this astounds me.  They have the gall to go on vacation when the rest of America can’t afford to, because of their ineptness at getting things done?  Why do we allow this to continue?  

When Democrats won control of Congress in 2006, Republicans were eager to tar them as “do nothing,” an echo of Democrat Harry Truman’s successful 1948 presidential campaign during which he railed against the “Do Nothing Congress” led by Republicans.

“The Democrats in charge of this Congress have been heavy on fluff and light on substance,” says Republican leader Rep. John Boehner of Ohio. “Resolutions are fine but why aren’t we also passing legislation to lower gas prices? What about health-care reform and runaway entitlement spending?”  I agree, but where is the Republican leadership leading the way on this?  Is every Republican still in Washington or did they go home too? 

In fact, the second-fewest number of public laws passed over the 20-year review was during the 104th Congress — when Republicans were newly in control, with a Democratic president. Resolutions, however, are usually popular on both sides of the aisle.

Let me help this out a little bit.  Here’s the truth to the matter:  The dems aren’t going to do jacks*@t until the election is over.  If Obama wins, God help us all.  If McCain wins, the dems will make damn sure that nothing happens for the next 4 years, and all the missed opportunities that the Republicans had in the past, will come back to haunt them.