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Craig Crawford’s Trail Mix: No Plane? Move the Capitol
The New York Times ^
| February 9, 2007
| Craig Crawford
Posted on 02/09/2007 10:06:01 AM PST by AmericanMade1776
If there really are no military planes available to fulfill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s request to regularly fly non-stop from Washington, D.C., to her home district in San Francisco, here is another solution: move the Capitol, at least for a few weeks now and then.
As population shifts further and further west, it does not seem fair for so many lawmakers to have such trouble getting back to their constituents. Why not a summer home for Congress in Denver? Or in a central location such as St. Louis, with plenty of non-stop flights to the rest of the country.
The Constitution does not require Congress to meet in Washington. And wouldn’t it be nice to share those lobbyist expense accounts with restaurants in the heartland?
Put the Capitol on the road and call it the Beltway Tour. What better way for Americans to get closer to Washington: Make everyone a Beltway insider.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
TOPICS: Miscellaneous
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Craig Crawford must of really strained his brain coming up with that solution. Surely he jest!
To: AmericanMade1776
Hey Craig, what kind of weed are your smoking?? A little Columbian? Some Maui-wowie? Must be some good stuff. Cheech and Chong would be jealous.
2
posted on
02/09/2007 10:08:01 AM PST
by
EagleUSA
To: EagleUSA
Craig has had a little too much of those "fruits and nuts" from California.
To: AmericanMade1776
Why not? Keep 'em on the move and off-balance. Then they don't have time to make mischief.
4
posted on
02/09/2007 10:09:50 AM PST
by
sionnsar
(†trad-anglican.faithweb.com†|Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
To: sionnsar
sionnsar wrote: Why not? Keep 'em on the move and off-balance. Then they don't have time to make mischief.
butt-t-t-t..they are already Off-balance. At least we know where they are.
To: AmericanMade1776
Why don't we send Congress to hell? I'm told it's very near San Francisco.
6
posted on
02/09/2007 10:11:32 AM PST
by
Spok
To: AmericanMade1776
Why not a summer home for Congress in Denver?
Sorry we don't want them. We're trying to control global warming here and all that hot air would really screw things up.
My suggestion- Congress goes to DC for a 2-month session and then returns home for the rest of the year. Think of how healthy our country would be.
To: keepitreal; Spok
I have a place for Summer Camp for Congress...
Hell Creek in South Dakota.
To: Spok
Why don't we send Congress to hell? I'm told it's very near San Francisco. Why do you write stuff like that?
To: AmericanMade1776
I have a much better idea. Since we have some pretty amazing videoconferencing and "virtual presence" telecommunications systems these days, why not install state-of-the-art systems in the home offices of all senators and representatives and require them to conduct all official business using them? Forbid them from setting foot in DC except for specific ceremonial events for the duration of their legislative time in office.
Would that slow government down? Yup. What's your point? It would also make the legislators more easily accessible to their constituents, and less so to lobbyists. Win-win.
To: EagleUSA
I agree with this. The nation's capital should be moved, maybe to South-Central IL or in western TN.
Just let it strictly be a federal location, with none of the crap like Washington DC is now.
To: AmericanMade1776
I got a better idea why not move Nancy Pelosi.
12
posted on
02/09/2007 10:19:39 AM PST
by
bilhosty
(to hell with ABCNNBCBS)
To: Doug Loss
Doug.. I like it... I like it! That way, Congress never has to eat out , or travel, or buy fancy suits..they can all stay home and talk via internet.. what a great idea.
To: bilhosty
bilhosty wrote: I got a better idea why not move Nancy Pelosi.
It looks like , Pelosi would be use to the commute between California and D.C. by now, and stop the whinning.
To: AmericanMade1776
I seem to remember a george will column where he proposed moving the capitol every year just so the lobbyists couldn't find it. at least not right away.
the difference was he was kidding.
15
posted on
02/09/2007 10:21:19 AM PST
by
smonk
To: Doug Loss
It would also make the legislators more easily accessible to their constituents, and less so to lobbyists. Win-win.
AMEN! How would these folks act if they actually had to meet with constituents face to face all the time. Just got the most condescending e-mail from my democrat senator responding to my criticism of his position on the Iraq war. I doubt he (or his staff) would have felt so free to be that way if he had to say it to me in person.
To: smonk
It is hard to tell if Craig Crawford is serious or kidding. Plus the article being in the New York Times makes you think he is serious.
To: AmericanMade1776
Wasn't the original plan for Congress to convene during the sweltering summer months? That was the incentive to get business done and then go home. They were to be near their constituents, families and work (farms, etc.) for the bulk of the year. Keep them where they are and turn off the heating and a/c.
18
posted on
02/09/2007 10:23:02 AM PST
by
Ruth A.
(we might as well fight in the first ditch as the last)
To: keepitreal
guess you can not tell who the democrat is...democrats have no manners, or ethics so it is not suprising.
To: Ruth A.
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