Posted on 07/09/2008 5:17:06 AM PDT by brycemax
When you're being grilled by a bunch of useless congressional representatives over the "high price of coffee," it's only natural to wonder how one might fix this collection of useless windbags. Check out the newest "Geeks On Caffeine" toon which ponders this very dilemma! NOTE: The author of this comic requests that you visit the sight and refrain from pasting the comic within the thread. THANKS!
“fix the do-nothing congress.”
by “doing nothing” they’re doing that certain something they love to do; undermining the United States in whatever way they can.
(and, ironically, “the electorate” loves them and will probably increase their number in november.)
activity doesn't always equal productivity.
"Government is the problem..." Ronald Reagan
link to nowhere
Fixing Congress is simple - vote EVERY incumbent out of office. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. By continually electing the same people to Congress and expecting them to do something different, WE are the insane ones!!
Wanna fix Congress?? Vote for someone else and KEEP voting them ouyt of office for the next 12 - 20 years until future Congresscritters get the message: “We’re mad as he!! and we’re not gonna take it anymore!!!”
>> Fixing Congress is simple - vote EVERY incumbent out of office.
This is incredibly short sighted, and shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of a representative republic.
The thing is, we don’t elect “Congress”. We elect our own single representative in Congress. My representative, John Culberson, has done a great job for me and my interests and will be getting my vote. It is the nature of Congress that people of different regions will elect people with different philosophies. I think Culberson has been a success, but the majority of San Franciscans apparently think Nancy Pelosi has done a good job.
This internal conflict is inherent in the system, and is intentionally designed so as to allow representation of disparate regions of the country in a central governmental body. That’s why these ridiculous “Congressional approval ratings” are so useless — because most people like THEIR representative, but they don’t like other folks representatives. Well ... tough. We don’t get a voice in OTHER people’s representatives. It is as it should be.
>> The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
That’s actually Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity. The actual definition of “insanity” — either the legal definition or linguistic definition thereof — is quite different.
H
Save your lectures professor, I took Civics decades ago (when they still taught it) and have a very good understanding of the issue. I also remember why the ‘THRO’ movement failed in the 90s - for the very reasons you espouse. If you aren’t willing to take a stand and DO SOMETHING, then get out of the way - you’re impeding traffic!
>> Save your lectures professor, I took Civics decades ago (when they still taught it) and have a very good understanding of the issue.
Clearly not.
>> I also remember why the ‘THRO’ movement failed in the 90s - for the very reasons you espouse.
Movement failed once — why not replicate it? What was that Einstein quote you cited about “insanity” again?
>> If you aren’t willing to take a stand and DO SOMETHING, then get out of the way - you’re impeding traffic!
Sometimes “doing something” just for the sake of “doing something” is counterproductive. You’re running on a treadmill here — the problem is not with Congress generally, but with the voting populations of some specific districts.
I fail to see how throwing John Culberson, a conservative, out on his ass helps the conservative cause. I refuse to heave a conservative stalwart to the side simply because he’s an incumbent.
Your “movement” will fail this time just like it did last time — and for exactly the same reasons.
H
It isn't my movement, professor, it is a Congress that defines the term 'failure' in every respect. In the 90s movement, the Congressional approval rating wasn't in single digit numbers and gas, and everything affected by the price of gas wasn't over $4.00/gal. People weren't palpably angry at Congress as they are today and Congress (even though they were less arrogant than they are today) was still pretty arrogant.
Congress works for us, not the other way around. When an employee fails to function the way we want them to and no longer does their job (as this Congress has failed to do) they deserve to be fired. If you like you Congresscritter, that's great. If your Congresscritter has been there for more than 8 years, he is part of the problem and not part of the solution.
The Founding Fathers did not intend to create career politicians when the founded this country and established the Constitution. They intended these people to get together, conduct the business of the people and GO HOME!! No where in the Constitution do we authorize Congress to investigate drug use among professional athletes, whether or not the officiating at a pro-sports event was 'fixed', or why the price of oil (which they have caused) is so high, etc. This government is broken, the Congress is broken and the remedy is to clean house. We have allowed them to steal our money from SS and give themselves pay raises as well as raise our taxes so they can buy the vote of people like you. Congress has become a country club of political elites who are so out-of-touch with their constituents, they might as well be on a permanent political junket to investigate the wheat crop on Jupiter. There isn't a single one of them capable of evaluating the economic condition of the country and taking action. Instead, they are more concerned with political correctness and worrying about Glowbull Warming. IOW, Rome is burning and these folks are STILL fiddling!!
>> People weren’t palpably angry at Congress as they are today and Congress (even though they were less arrogant than they are today) was still pretty arrogant.
The thing is — most people aren’t angry at THEIR representative. They’re angry at Congress as a whole, but generally happy with their own representative. Such is the nature of Congress — and this is the fundamental reason this “vote out the incumbent” nonsense will never work.
Congress itself should not be the focus of your anger — the voters of districts with values unlike your own should.
>> Congress works for us, not the other way around.
Congress doesn’t work for any monolithic group — all “Americans” don’t necessarily agree with you, or me, or a Pelosi voter. Our individual Congressman works for us — Congress as a whole works for the sometimes competing interests and opinions of the populations of 435 distinct districts.
>> If your Congresscritter has been there for more than 8 years, he is part of the problem and not part of the solution.
Nonsensical hyperbole.
>> so they can buy the vote of people like you.
My vote is not for sale.
>> There isn’t a single one of them capable of evaluating the economic condition of the country and taking action.
Such is the nature of Congress. A single Congressman is not Constitutionally permitted to “take action” unilaterally.
H
I don't believe that is true. I am seeing and hearing more and more comments from people who recognize that THEIR congresscritter is as much a part of the problem as "the other guy's". You're still relying too much on THRO's discoveries and not looking at the situation today.
Congress itself should not be the focus of your anger — the voters of districts with values unlike your own should.
Lessee, more than 70% of Americans believe that we should drill for our own sources of oil - a message Congress doesn't hear. More than 80% of Americans want the borders closed and the illegals rounded up and deported, another message that Congress doesn't hear. And you think I should blame the other voters!!?? Are you for real?
Congress doesn’t work for any monolithic group — all “Americans” don’t necessarily agree with you,
Nor did I say that. By saying that the Congresscritters are our employees, I meant ALL Americans. I don't expect them to act on MY whims, I DO expect them to serve their country and their constituents above illegal "immigrants" and terrorists. Get a clue, I don't think that everything is about me.
My vote is not for sale.
Clearly it is. You drank Cuthbert's kool-aid and love him because he brings money to your region that was confiscated from other taxpayers. So, yes, you sold your vote and let your congresscritter buy it.
A single Congressman is not Constitutionally permitted to “take action” unilaterally
So, let me see if I get this straight. You're telling me that a single congresscritter lacks the ability to get his/her head out of Washington, assess the economy and the current issues we are facing as a nation, and introducing legislation they are willing to fight for to improve and safeguard the United States. If they lack this fundamental ability, why do you want to keep them in the first place? This is why they are in the Congress to begin with - to solve America's problems. If they are that incompetent, they deserve to be tossed on their butts! I might add that the problems they want to solve are problems they created.
>> You drank Cuthbert’s kool-aid and love him because he brings money to your region that was confiscated from other taxpayers.
Who the hell is “Cuthbert”? Perhaps you meant John Culberson. My vote has nothing whatsoever to do with “bringing money to my region”. He has a 96.24 lifetime rating by the ACU, including a 100% in 2007. He has voted consistent with my values, and thus represents me to my satisfaction.
>> This is why they are in the Congress to begin with - to solve America’s problems.
If you believe the function of Congress is to solve all of America’s problems, then you’re pretty far gone. To quote Reagan, “government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem.”
>> If they are that incompetent, they deserve to be tossed on their butts! I might add that the problems they want to solve are problems they created.
Agreed. I simply do not believe that the competence of every individual Congressman can be judged only by the success of Congress as a whole. Each Congressman should be judged individually. Individually, my Congressman has been fine.
>> More than 80% of Americans want the borders closed and the illegals rounded up and deported, another message that Congress doesn’t hear. And you think I should blame the other voters!!?? Are you for real?
Yes. Many of those 80% will vote for their current Democratic congressman again next time around.
>> You’re telling me that a single congresscritter lacks the ability to get his/her head out of Washington, assess the economy and the current issues we are facing as a nation, and introducing legislation they are willing to fight for to improve and safeguard the United States.
No, I’m telling you a single Congressman hasn’t the authority to pass it himself. He needs consent from the rest of Congress — my Congressman is fine, some of the rest of Congress is entirely dysfunctional.
H
Never mind.
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