Congressional Approval Rating- DUH! I heard several comments this week on blogs, podcasts, etc., discussing that the congressional approval rating was at an all time low. This is not surprising to me at all! If ever there was a "do nothing" Congress, this one is it. Two things came out this week which showed to me clearly that they have no agenda, no ethics, no clue.
When Ms. Pelossi took over as Speaker of the House she claimed that they would have a higher standard, be more transparent, and work better. Sounds good. But since then it appears that the opposite is true. Recently as the House began to thrown in all sorts of earmarks (pork barrel spending to you and I) it was reported that not only was there a record number, but that the amount of such projects is at an all time record high. I applaud the work of Se. Tom Coburn (R-OK) for his public exposure of such projects and to the six members of the House said they had no earmark requests. I understand (but don't agree) with the current procedure which doesn't require them to publicly announce what their projects are, but it still would have been nice to have at least one of the congressmen from Kentucky to disclose something. Several denied the requests, some just ignored the requests. But when Ms. Pelossi was asked about her earmarks she corrected the reporters by saying that they weren't "earmarks" they were legislatively directed spending requests. What a bunch of garbage. This kind of verbiage reminds me of Bill Clinton saying that oral SEX isn't sex. It was a mutually consensual act. Changing the name, Ms. Pelossi, doesn't change what it is. Call it "ethically controlled legislative spending directives as voted by the people", its still pork.
I would like to see congress have the courage to not slide stuff like this into the budget. Stand up and say, "Hey, this is important to our country, vote for this single budget amendment bill."
[Ever started something and gotten totally sidetracked and forgot where you were going? I just did that with this post. Then the rest of the story hit me this morning...so I now continue]
Well, it struck me that we have this massive problem with our borders and the government has proven that they are impotent to fix it. We are in a war that doesn't seem to have any strategy. We have a serious problem looming with Social Security, our national debt, trade deficits, and the overall plunging value of the dollar overseas. But what did our elected officials do this week? They once again put forth a bill for expanding federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, a bill that the President vowed to veto, and he did. If the Congress can't get their heads together enough to know that the bill isn't going to have enough momentum to override a veto then they are just wasting their time, and our money.
If Congress were a business they would be bankrupt. How can you have hundreds of employees spending all of their time working on a problem that isn't of the highest priority, knowing that when the solution is sent to the CEO of that company that he will reject it.
Folks, the house is on fire and Congress is rearranging the pillows.
When Ms. Pelossi took over as Speaker of the House she claimed that they would have a higher standard, be more transparent, and work better. Sounds good. But since then it appears that the opposite is true. Recently as the House began to thrown in all sorts of earmarks (pork barrel spending to you and I) it was reported that not only was there a record number, but that the amount of such projects is at an all time record high. I applaud the work of Se. Tom Coburn (R-OK) for his public exposure of such projects and to the six members of the House said they had no earmark requests. I understand (but don't agree) with the current procedure which doesn't require them to publicly announce what their projects are, but it still would have been nice to have at least one of the congressmen from Kentucky to disclose something. Several denied the requests, some just ignored the requests. But when Ms. Pelossi was asked about her earmarks she corrected the reporters by saying that they weren't "earmarks" they were legislatively directed spending requests. What a bunch of garbage. This kind of verbiage reminds me of Bill Clinton saying that oral SEX isn't sex. It was a mutually consensual act. Changing the name, Ms. Pelossi, doesn't change what it is. Call it "ethically controlled legislative spending directives as voted by the people", its still pork.
I would like to see congress have the courage to not slide stuff like this into the budget. Stand up and say, "Hey, this is important to our country, vote for this single budget amendment bill."
[Ever started something and gotten totally sidetracked and forgot where you were going? I just did that with this post. Then the rest of the story hit me this morning...so I now continue]
Well, it struck me that we have this massive problem with our borders and the government has proven that they are impotent to fix it. We are in a war that doesn't seem to have any strategy. We have a serious problem looming with Social Security, our national debt, trade deficits, and the overall plunging value of the dollar overseas. But what did our elected officials do this week? They once again put forth a bill for expanding federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, a bill that the President vowed to veto, and he did. If the Congress can't get their heads together enough to know that the bill isn't going to have enough momentum to override a veto then they are just wasting their time, and our money.
If Congress were a business they would be bankrupt. How can you have hundreds of employees spending all of their time working on a problem that isn't of the highest priority, knowing that when the solution is sent to the CEO of that company that he will reject it.
Folks, the house is on fire and Congress is rearranging the pillows.
5 Comments:
How can you say this is do nothing congress? They have voted in several bills - to eliminate negotiation with PhARMA on the price of Medicare drugs, to approve the war budget while denouncing the war, and they are nearing the point where they will grant amnesty to millions of illegals (even those with criminal records). They voted to increase the payments to Medicare for doctors costs which are now triple the rest of the world. They've been very busy throwing your money away.
Thanks for article!
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Glad to read articles like this. Thanks to author!
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