Here's Why Congress Is Losing 660 Years of Experience("The Tea Party extremists")

ABC News ^ | May 5, 2014 | Ryan Struyk

[mdittmar]

Before the first Star Wars movie, before Microsoft was founded and before John Paul II became Pope, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., was elected to Congress. And now, after 40 years in the House, Waxman is calling it quits.

But he’s not the only one: A whopping 528 years’ worth of experience is about to walk out the door of the U.S. House of Representatives – the most since 1996 and the second-most in at least four decades. Add that to the 132 years of experience leaving the Senate, and you get a staggering total of 660 years.

When we caught up with Waxman, as well as his longtime coworker from across the aisle, Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., to talk about their tenures in Congress, there’s one word they both agreed described Congress today: gridlocked.

[mdittmar]

Slowly but surely,we'll get there.

Looking forward to November!

[TheThirdRuffian]

660 years of corruption.

[SampleMan]

Total BS premise. 365 Army recruits don’t have 30 years of Army experience after their first 4 wks.

[JRandomFreeper]

Is it true that the actual number of years was 666?

Rumors have to start somewhere...

/johnny

[Pilgrim's Progress]

I demand a recount . . . more that 666 if you ax me . . .

[griswold3]

Those folks with a combined ‘660 years of experience’ got us into this mess.
No one trusts the establishment anymore because they have shown they have no idea how to govern in the best interest of the people. They ‘govern’ in the best interest of the Party. My 94 y.o. mother tells of another country she lived in that put party purity above all else.

[Iron Munro]

660 years of corruption.

Look where all the damage created by that experience has left the nation...

[jdege]

When Americans want something from government, and want it intensely and protractedly, they usually get it. When they don't, they probably shouldn't. But nowadays government, a seismograph trembling to tiny tremors of appetites, is "responsive" to a fault.

Bicameralism is [...] conducive to gridlock. But there are 6 billion people on this planet and about 5.7 billion of them would be better off if they lived under governments more susceptible to gridlock. Gridlock is not an American problem, it is an American achievement.

George Will

[Ronin]

Gee... they say this like it’s a bad thing!

[all the best]

Good riddance!

[carlo3b]

Wow, we did that? Woo Hoo.. :)

[tcrlaf]

And almost ALL of it Democrat...

What a damned shame./s

[Billthedrill]

"Gridlock" is Congress functioning exactly as it should, and exactly as designed. Getting legislation done just to pass laws is not a sign of efficiency, it's a sign of lack of control, and it's what has gotten us the enormous government we now have.

[Lazamataz]

Thank GOD.

Term Limits for the limitless.

[Cicero]

Waxman is leaving after 40 years? Break out the champagne!

[cripplecreek]

[mjp]

The Tea Party extremists … are against compromise at all [and] think talking to Democrats is like complicity with the enemy,”

When the good compromises on moral principles, it is a victory for evil.

[MamaB]

They never ever should have been in office that long.

[Jonty30]

This is supposed to be a problem?

[scrabblehack]

You think it’s not a good way of looking at it?
Hmmmm....how much does it differ from number of retirements?
The ones that voluntarily retire tend to have a lot of experience. There are exceptions though.