Posted on 04/07/2006 6:21:12 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Congressional schedule-keepers had planned for a two-week sprint between vacations to produce weighty reforms on immigration, pensions and tax policy. But Friday, at the finish line, all of those measures were missing.
The 16-day Easter break began just the same.
"Most families do spend a little time together over Easter, so I don't think that it's an unusual time to do it," said Senate Democratic Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois. Durbin said he expects more questions from his constituents about the war in Iraq than Congress' schedule.
As for those who wonder why Congress is taking a two-week vacation with such major legislation unfinished, "They've got a point," said Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record), R-Ariz.
It's not as if nothing happened during the two weeks since Congress' first-ever weeklong vacation for St. Patrick's Day.
Former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, announced he was relinquishing his seat under an ethics cloud. And everyone agreed that it's never right to slug a police officer after Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., apologized for doing so.
On legislation, the Senate passed a lobbying and ethics bill that requires lobbyists and lawmakers to be more open about their contacts. Senators said no thank-you to the idea of an independent watchdog policing them, and the idea of giving up use of corporate jets for the price that just plain folks pay for an airline ticket.
The House approved legislation to extend the Higher Education Act for five years, as well as a campaign finance bill that would end unlimited contributions to nonprofit political groups known as 527s. It also passed legislation that would expand sanctions against Sudan because of the genocide occurring in Darfur.
But lawmakers stumbled in the final stretch on big ticket items like tax cuts and whether to spend more or less on health and education programs.
A deal on overhauling immigration law lasted less than 24 hours before slipping away Friday in a development Durbin called "heartbreaking" and Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., described as "tragic."
Legislation assuring millions of baby boomers that the pensions they were promised by employers will be there when they retire was supposed to have been on its way to President Bush. Lawmakers are not even close on that.
"Major things just don't get through here," Durbin said. "It does reflect the election year. It also reflects that we don't do things as often as we should in a bipartisan fashion."
They just want to let the dust settle befor they throw the perverbial BUTTSCREWING to the citizens of this country when the give AMNESTY to those ILLEGALS DEMONSTRATING IN OUR STREETS FOR RIGHTS THEY DON'T HAVE COMING AND NEVER EARNED.
AFAIK, the Texas legislature can only meet for 2 months every other year. So they meet, get right down to work,
and adjourn. And their members have to earn a living in the private sector (like real people).
How about trying this out nationally?
And yet for all that vacation, the country just kind of keeps running and humming along without them. And they're important why?
Work? What work?
Let them take all the time they want.
It's true that the salary for Texas lawmakers is a pittance, but they have crafted for themselves a very sweet pension plan. They are not quite the altruistic citizen legislators that they appear to be at first examination.
"Currently, lawmakers earn $7,200 a year in pay, and retired lawmakers can begin collecting pensions at age 50 if they have served for at least 12 years.
Under the House and Senate bills, a retired official with 12 years' experience would get $6,431 more a year for a total pension of $34,500. Benefits increase with each year of service."
Appear congress critters have their own guest worker program, it is called guess we don't work, too much.
It's their year. They are running for reelection. So the spotlight is on them. In ring #1, for your entertainment, the amazing Republicumbas on the high wires. And, here come the clowns sireens blazing and horns honking all crowded in their little cars. Look there's Cynthia McKinney with the wild orange hair. Ted Kennedy with the bulbous red nose. The main attraction, however, is in the center ring where Bring em on Bush, the lion tamer, skillfully manages the fat cats.
Can we pay them to stay away for a couple of years...so we can straighten the mess out they created for us....
That's exactly what I was thinking. Having watch our great Senate on CSPAN many times it doesn't seem to me that they do much work. How they get anything at all done is beyond me. They mill around on the Senate floor like a bunch of third graders at lunch time in the cafeteria while someone if trying to speak. Then when it is time to vote there is nobody in the chamber and they have to be called back in. It takes close to an hour to take a vote because a dozen or more take their sweet time getting back to the chamber to record their vote. Senators are like an unruly mob. Waste of time and money. Btw, has anyone else noticed how Kerry, Landreu and Hitlery always seem to make sure they are in the right spot for the camera to focus on them?
Lets see:
If I work for 2 weeks, and take 2 weeks off, I lose 2 weeks pay, right?
If government works for 2 weeks, and takes 2 weeks off, they get paid for the 2 weeks they took off, right????
What is wrong with this picture? Maybe if they got paid ONLY while they worked, they would work more, ya think????
A part time Congress where they just get together to pass the budget and then go home would be ideal. They could call special sessions for the really important extraneous stuff. They all need to have a real day job.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.