Posted on 04/08/2006 10:22:13 PM PDT by ncountylee
WASHINGTON - Yes, Congress has gone home. Again.
On Friday, lawmakers began a two-week break, this time for Easter. The last break was two weeks ago -- a seven-day recess for St. Patrick's Day.
At this rate, they will spend fewer days in Washington this year than any time since Harry Truman ran against the ''do-nothing'' Congress in 1948.
The lackadaisical schedule and the inability to pass major legislation raise a fundamental question: Is Congress broken?
Members of the House left unable to pass a budget. The Senate watched a bipartisan deal on immigration come unglued, leaving President Bush's hopes for comprehensive border security and foreign guest-worker legislation in tatters. The House ethics committee can't bring itself to examine pending ethics complaints against fellow members. Fix Social Security before baby-boom retirees exhaust its reserves? That's for another day.
COUNTERACTIVE
Hamstrung by partisanship and internal Republican divisions, lawmakers increasingly are unable to address complex national problems such as a broken healthcare system and out-of-control spending on prized programs.
Going home may be the only sane thing left to do.
''The more you work, the more mischief is made because of more acrimony on the floor, then there's more bloodletting,'' said Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla.
Scholars and current and former lawmakers say Congress isn't only unable to tackle difficult issues, it also has lost its standing as a branch of government equal to that of the executive and judiciary. With single-party control of the White House and both houses of Congress, legislative oversight of the administration has been hesitant at best, more often nonexistent.
(Excerpt) Read more at miami.com ...
Not sure that is a bad thing.
Any time Congress does nothing is a good week for the Republic.
time for about 200 recess appointments
Hey if they are on vacation they're not spending money. That is a good thing.
In the House, not only are members taking more breaks, but their weekly work schedule also amounts to about two days a week.
Not sure that is a bad thing.
You mean no one is losing any freedom to the heavy hand of government?
Why is that bad?
Reducing Congress' schedule so that they'd only be in session ONE day a week would be even better. The less time Congress spends misspending our money the better.
Less time for the Democrats to play their political theatrics.
No one would ever set up a company like the US government. No onme would try to be CEO with 600 directors, 100 of which can black anything for any or no reason. It is amazing that they ever get anything done, especially since they have the egos of rock stars but are, in reality, middling peons.
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