Fri. Mar 18, 2005
Congressional Priorities
Congress can’t agree on how, or even if, we should reform Social Security. Congress looks more and more like they won’t even be able to pass a Federal Budget this session, the most basic and bare minimum reason Congress even exists. Congress has been unable to stop ethics and campaign finance investigations into various members, yet unable to clear them either.
The age-old theorem that you need opposing parties in the executive and legislative branches (or at least between the two Houses of Congress) to get effective political gridlock has been proven wrong. Other than ramming a bankruptcy reform bill down our throats when all but banks and credit card companies opposed it, this three month old Republican controlled Congress has been remarkably ineffective.
But they can sure get baseball players to show up and kow-tow, in order to show that Congress is serious about multi-millionaires who use steroids … a massive social problem in this country, to be sure. And now they want to drag Terri Schiavo before them as a pawn in an effort to “save” her. Must I really consider adding a clause to my Living Will specifically barring Congressional intervention?
As they descend from “Important Things We Can’t Do” to “Trivial But Sensational Misdirection,” one can only hope they’ll decide that next they want to go see Disney World. Maybe while there they can drug test Goofy and subpoena Sleeping Beauty.
Meanwhile, the meter is running. Don’t worry, though, you won’t be paying for it. Your children will.
Published 04:19PM, Fri, Mar 18 2005
Category: Politics
Previous: «« Five Questions Meme, Part Two ««
Next: »» The Curse of the Freebird »»
Peanut Gallery
Speaking of Contempt of Congress, Slate has decent article, Do You Have to Testify Before Congress? in response to questions about the Baseball hearings. It says,
The Constitution does not explicitly give Congress the right to issue subpoenas or contempt citations, but it began to do so not long after the birth of the Republic. The Supreme Court upheld the practice in 1821, reasoning that without it, Congress “would be exposed to every indignity and interruption that rudeness, caprice or even conspiracy may mediate against it.”
I would argue that Congress does itself in better than I could ever dream of.
So much for baseball.
Unfortunately, the truly important things, things that actually affect our lives, are getting done. The aforementioned Bancruptcy gift to the Banking Industry, ANWR, and Dick Cheney’s upcoming “nuclear” change of 200 years of Senate rules. A year from now, if you ask anybody what Congress accomplished this session, they’ll remember “those awful baseball players on steroids” and that “poor Terri Schiavo” who the court system was trying to kill. All accomplished without even having to bring up Flag Burning or Elian Gonzales.
Pretty smart if you ask me. And yes, contemptible.
You are so right. I was going to continue about the religionist’s war we are being assaulted with. But I accidently hit submit instead of preview. It’s just too depressing. I’m going to crank up the tubes and blast some 70’s rock for a while and hope tomorrow will look less bleak.
I just thought of a t-shirt idea.
WWJD? Who Would Jesus Denounce?
Add the picture of your choosing.
Recent Comments
- Reid (Republican Postmortem)
- elburro (Republican Postmortem)
- Jim (The Math Says No Lines In Georgia, And A Long Wait For Results)
- Reid (The Math Says No Lines In Georgia, And A Long Wait For Results)
- Jim (The Math Says No Lines In Georgia, And A Long Wait For Results)
- Jim (The Math Says No Lines In Georgia, And A Long Wait For Results)
ReidStott.com
Photography
by Reid Stott
A decade of web design experience. Two decades of photography experience. All available to you, and your project. View my portfolio online, then let's talk about your needs.ReidStott.com
Contempt of Congress, the crime, is punishable by up to one year in prison and up to $1,000 in fines. I am so guilty. Come get me.
Any further expression of my opinions of those arrogant bastards may not be permissible in Reid’s living room. If there is a greater threat to my life, liberty and pursuit of happiness than our very own politicians, I truly do not know what it is. My only consolation is that when they are so busy grandstanding against each other, they have less time to focus their destructiveness on us in the form or more legislation.