In praise of a do-nothing Congress

RenewAmerica ^ | 1-23-12 | Selwyn Duke

[ReformationFan]

Here's a question: how can we expect to have small government if we condemn Congress for not growing it?

It's always a disturbing experience when you're accosted with a picture of Harry Reid, as I was upon logging on to Drudge last Monday afternoon. But at least his image bore a fitting caption: "MOST FUTILE EVER." I then clicked the link and found myself at The Washington Times — normally a quite sane organ of the media — and learned the meaning of the caption: the Times was lamenting a do-nothing Congress and presented Reid as its poster boy. Writes the paper, "It's official: Congress ended its least-productive year in modern history after passing 80 bills — fewer than during any other session since year-end records began being kept in 1947."

Writes Duke, "It's official: conservatives are completely confused about what begets big government."

The paper then expanded on its theme, pointing out that Congress set a record for "legislative futility" according to something called the "futility index."

I'll tell you what's futile: complaining about a loss of freedom while chastising legislators for not spawning enough bills.

Perhaps I'm missing something, but my understanding is that a "bill" that's signed by the president becomes a law. I also have this goofy notion that, except for certain housekeeping measures and repeals of old legislation, a law is by definition a removal of a freedom, as it states that there's something you must or must not do. Ergo, enslaved as I am by the old math, my figuring informs that the more laws we have, the less free we are.

[ReformationFan]

Excellent article. I want Congress to do less and less.

[rednek]

Gridlock is good. More gridlock is gooder. Keep up the good work guys and we might survive the zero administration...red

[Iron Munro]

I want Congress to do less and less.

I would like a president who demands that every bill for a new law be acompanied by bills to remove at least two existing laws of equal or greater significance.

[elpadre]

I believe the House has passed over 40 bills and sent them to the Senate where Harry won't allow them to come to the floor. Over half of them are jobs bills and a big one is the budget. It seems to me the House is doing good work only to be snubbed by the Senate and then the public paints them as they do the Senate. FR should be supporting and publicizing the House's accomplishments and the Senate failures.

[RicocheT]

Most of us on FR have been keeping up on politics and realize the House has done its job of trying to pass a budget and trying to get our economy going by helping the free market system and capitalism, rather than tossing fake paper dollars out the Fed window and calling it a stimulus. It’s our Republican politicians and GOP leadership that is failing to educate the populace. It doesn’t help that almost half of our populace are already on some government entitlement or that a lot of big companies like GE and big Pharma are looking for government favors instead of working on better products and services that people really want to buy.

True the Senate under Obama’s minion Harry Reid is the place where good bills get buried. Obama is in campaign mode and cares not for the economic plight of we taxpayers and workers, he just wants another term to wreck America.

[BobL]

“Gridlock is good. More gridlock is gooder.”

Right now, yes. There is NO REASON for the Republicans to work with a lame duck president (assuming Newt gets nominated). Starting in 2013, maybe we can actually start fixing things.