The 110th congress has FAILED the American people

[davebg 0]

The 110th Congress is a focking disgrace. They should all be thrown out on their collective asses.

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."

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

"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.

 

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.

 

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?"

 

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.

 

Perpetual Motion

 

Critics still complain that Congress uses resolutions to pad its legislative record.

 

"Resolutions are a perpetual motion machine," says Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense. "Not only do you create Heat Stroke Awareness Month, every year after that you recognize the importance of Heat Stroke Awareness Month. You never move on to substantive legislation."

 

Occasionally, resolutions stir debate that veers close to substance. In late June, House members gathered on the floor to debate a resolution establishing Pittsfield, Mass., once and for all, as home to the earliest known reference to the word "baseball."

 

Democratic Rep. John Olver of Massachusetts, the bill's author, rose to stake Pittsfield's claim, based on the recent discovery of a 1791 Pittsfield law banning "Wicket, Cricket, Baseball, Football, Cat, Fives or any other game or games with balls" near the town's new meetinghouse.

 

"Even back in 1791, youths were already breaking windows playing America's favorite national pastime," Rep. Olver said. "With that, the first mention of baseball was penned into history."

 

Rep. Virginia Foxx, Republican of North Carolina whose resolution recognizing America's Christmas-tree industry remains mired in committee, said that "the origins of baseball [have] been the subject of debate and controversy." Yet she agreed that the "Broken Window Bylaw" gave Pittsfield the honor.

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1219108970...=googlenews_wsj

[BLS 313]

Good.

 

 

laws = restrictions = less freedom

 

We don't need more laws. We need less laws.

[davebg 0]

Good.

laws = restrictions = less freedom

 

We don't need more laws. We need less laws.

Laws <> restrictions (all the time)

 

What about the appropriation bills for 2009? Are you opposed to them actually figuring out ahead of time where the money will be spent?

 

Look, if you want to live in a land where government doesn't pass any laws or really do much of anything, that's your right. I suggest you find a deserted island and play out your Lord of the Flies fantasies there.

[wiffleball 4,679]

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.

 

2 decades? What the hell? No one invented paper until 1988?

 

Honestly, I think using the number of laws passed to rate a Conress is stupid. Quite honestly, when we have lawmakers outlawing trans-fats and other stupid shiit, you pretty much know all the important laws have been passed.

 

I mean, wouldn't you pretty much expect that the first 20 years or so, there'd be a shiitload of laws to pass, then things would taper off until new technology came around? I honestly think that's why our country's so focked up - bored politicians and people like you biitching about not enough laws passed. Fock that. You cover speeding, murder, paedophiles, etc., that's good. Stop nit-picking, stop making stupid laws. Congress shouldn't be in session 365 24/7. Fine. spend a couple months every year if you have to, then get your ass back to your state and spend time listening to people. That's the way it originally was. Those fockers established the Declaration of Independence, got an Army together, wrote the Constitution and BOR, got it all passed and approved and such - all in a very short period of time. Then, they'd go back home and get on with their lives.

 

In fact, put a focking moratorium on new laws and abolish Congress alltogether. If something comes up - war, alien invasion - fine, then get them back to handle bidness. The fact that they spend all focking day passing declarations about watermelons and whatnot ought to tell us they've got nothing better to do. They can't control gas costs, they can't do jack shiit. The less time they spend in Congress, the better off we'll all be.

[parrot 789]

Good.

laws = restrictions = less freedom

 

We don't need more laws. We need less laws.

 

 

Gridlock is our friend.

[supermike80 1,339]

2 decades? What the hell? No one invented paper until 1988?

 

Honestly, I think using the number of laws passed to rate a Conress is stupid.

 

Agreed

[Thornton Melon 549]

Laws <> restrictions (all the time)

 

What about the appropriation bills for 2009? Are you opposed to them actually figuring out ahead of time where the money will be spent?

 

Look, if you want to live in a land where government doesn't pass any laws or really do much of anything, that's your right. I suggest you find a deserted island and play out your Lord of the Flies fantasies there.

 

When you consider how many laws Congress is actually Constitutionally authorized to pass, they still passed too many.

 

Enjoy

[parrot 789]

We're upset because this Congress passed only 294 laws? Really?

[mighty_thor 115]

They pass too many laws as it is. They don't even have time to read the entire bills that they are passing.

 

Personally I would go nuts as a Congressman. I usually attend meetings with anywhere from 5 to 20 people. And I absolutely hate it when a jagoff wastes my time by going off on some irrelevant tangent. I would go absolutely batty having to listen to some congressman waste my time as he pontificates about his district's local little league team that made it to the semifinals. I don't know when congress started to become like this but its obvious that the vast majority care more about maintaining their position than in passing laws for the good of the country (as opposed to the good of their district/state).

[davebg 0]

We're upset because this Congress passed only 294 laws? Really?

What's upsetting is that instead of addressing the problems that they've been elected to address (after creating many of said problems themselves) they're wasting time and (our) money on national watermellon month and figuring out where the baseball originated.

[parrot 789]

What's upsetting is that instead of addressing the problems that they've been elected to address (after creating many of said problems themselves) they're wasting time and (our) money on national watermellon month and figuring out where the baseball originated.

 

Well considering that their way of solving problems is doing things like...

 

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.

 

... I'm okay with it if they want to waste time figuring out where canteloupe focking originated.

[supermike80 1,339]

What's upsetting is that instead of addressing the problems that they've been elected to address (after creating many of said problems themselves) they're wasting time and (our) money on national watermellon month and figuring out where the baseball originated.

 

Not the first congress to pass frivolous laws, won't be ther last either.

 

That 2 represents less than 1% of the total. BFD

I can be absolutely confident all of you waste more than 1% on the job, heck you're doing it right now if you're reading this thread.

 

And, passing an appropriations law, JUST to say you passed a law, is dumb. I would rather it took forever, and was done right, than to push it through for the sake of some sort of unimportant count.

[thetxstang 0]

What's upsetting is that instead of addressing the problems that they've been elected to address...

 

What problems, specifically, what you like for them to address? To clean up all the issues The Shrub administration has created?

[supermike80 1,339]

What's upsetting is that instead of addressing the problems that they've been elected to address (after creating many of said problems themselves) they're wasting time and (our) money on national watermellon month and figuring out where the baseball originated.

 

And considering how many of that legislator's constituents are watermelon farmers, can you blame him for trying? Isn't that what he/she is supposed to do? Attempt to advance his regions business interests?

[mayhem39 3]

Honestly, I think we would all be better off if the just sat on their asses and did absolutley nothing. Less damage that way.

[paulinstl 295]

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.

 

Easier to understand gridlock when partisanship on both sides is so prevalent.

[Snoopy1 0]

I'm shocked...shocked I say that people have failed to mention how the GOP has a set a new record for most filibusters by a Congress.

 

Yesterday, a new record was established in the Senate, one of dubious worth in the history of our Nation. But the Republicans have engaged now in 77 filibusters. The record previously for any 2-year session was 57. We still have another 6 months to go. The Republicans have now broken the record for the number of filibusters....

 

 

In a little more than a week, the Republicans have blocked motions to proceed and debate the Consumer-First Energy Act, the Medicare Improvement Act, and the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act, not once but twice.

 

Sen. Richard Durbin(D) Ill

[wiffleball 4,679]

118 views on this thread and yet one response to the two lesbian gymnasts kissing.

 

 

 

Man, this bored sucks.

 

 

:shakinghead:

[posty 2,314]

We're upset because this Congress passed only 294 laws? Really?

 

Too bad that they passed this many...

[thetxstang 0]

118 views on this thread and yet one response to the two lesbian gymnasts kissing.

Man, this bored sucks.

:shakinghead:

 

Too many have caught teh ghey.

[BLS 313]

What's upsetting is that instead of addressing the problems that they've been elected to address (after creating many of said problems themselves) they're wasting time and (our) money on national watermellon month and figuring out where the baseball originated.

 

And yet in the same arugment you think I'm the delusional one because I want less laws?

 

How many focking problems do you think we have out there?

 

I'm with you 100% of them not passing any more watermelon months. But you want them to fix everything.

I want them to get the fukk out of the way.

[MisanthropicAnthropoid 0]

But you want them to fix everything.

I want them to get the fukk out of the way.

 

And there is an apt summary of the differences in political philosophy between Obama and Ron Paul.

[BLS 313]

And there is an apt summary of the differences in political philosophy between Obama and Ron Paul.

 

 

I understand that...my point if missed, was that Davebg was complaining about the laws they passed.

[Flashover 0]

I'm shocked...shocked I say that people have failed to mention how the GOP has a set a new record for most filibusters by a Congress.

Sen. Richard Durbin(D) Ill

Yes, nice strategy. Filibuster everything and then blame the Dems for not getting anything done.

 

Funny how Republicans were so opposed to the filibuster when they were the majority in congress. Now they are the minority and they set the record for most filibusters in history.

[wiffleball 4,679]

Yes, nice strategy. Filibuster everything and then blame the Dems for not getting anything done.

 

Funny how Republicans were so opposed to the filibuster when they were the majority in congress. Now they are the minority and they set the record for most filibusters in history.

[posty 2,314]

Yes, nice strategy. Filibuster everything and then blame the Dems for not getting anything done.

 

Funny how Republicans were so opposed to the filibuster when they were the majority in congress. Now they are the minority and they set the record for most filibusters in history.

 

Because most of the bills that the Democrats are trying to pass are absolute crap... At least some people care about this country and it isn't the ones on the left...

[Franknbeans 46]

Because most of the bills that the Democrats are trying to pass are absolute crap... At least some people care about this country and it isn't the ones on the left...

right, Republicans care