Time off for good behavior?
"Nose to the grindstone," forsooth.
By Moe Lane Posted in Congress — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Those poor, poor Democrats in Congress. They're so worn out from doing - you know, I know that they must have had a intention besides "doing whatever the GOP told them to do," but darned if I can tell you it what it was - anyway, they're so worn out that they've decided that they just can't handle a full five day shift.
Democrats Plan a Shorter Workweek
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORNWASHINGTON, Oct. 26 — Shortly after winning a majority last year, Democrats triumphantly declared that they would put Congress back to work, promising an “end to the two-day workweek.” And indeed, the House has clocked more time in Washington this year than in any other session since 1995, when Republicans, newly in control, sought to make a similar point.
But 10 months into the session, with their legislative agenda often in gridlock with the Bush administration and a big election year looming, the Democrats are now planning a lighter schedule when the 110th Congress begins its second year in mid-January.
...
“Is this a reward for our accomplishments in 2007?” asked Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri, the Republican whip.
Sure, Congressman: take five. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. Nice job that you and Sen. McConnell did this year, by the way.
Read on.
This sums up about half the point:
On Wednesday, the House cast its one-thousandth roll-call vote of the year, the first time that it reached that mark since the Constitution was ratified. Democrats hailed the occasion, while Republicans sniped that only 106 of the votes were on bills ultimately signed into law, and that 45 of those bestowed names on post offices or other property.
...with the other half being that a nontrivial number of the other 61 bills passed were on the GOP's terms. And that notably absent from those passed bills was pretty much anything that the netroots wanted. End to the war? We increased our presence in Iraq, all fully funded. FISA stopped? Confirmed and endorsed. Impeachment proceedings? Held off until after the 2008 elections, apparently. The Democrats got, I don't know, a minimum wage increase and a bunch of investigatory hearings that went precisely nowhere. Sounds kind of slim justification for a four day week next year, even if it doesn't come with a pay raise.
Yeah, they didn't get raises this year. Poor guys.
Now, I know that there are people out there that read this site with a sort of sick fascination at how people could possibly think and write like this - usually so they can go back to wherever they normally hang and tell everybody there how meaningless we are. While they're doing that, I'd like them to pass along the following query: was this end result what you actually wanted? I can't imagine that it would be, but...
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Time off for good behavior? 8 Comments (0 topical, 8 editorial, 1 hidden) Post a comment »
Moe
This is actually great news. After all how much can they steal from us poor tax payers if they working a shorter work week?
On top of that, it's the old Zen puzzle...
If a Congresscritter does not show up for work, does anyone notice?
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Proud member of the Barry Goldwater wing of the party !
How much of their shortened week will be filled with increased investigations of Republican turpitude?
The "sick fascination" people, the ones who refer to "Bizzaro Land" when speaking about Redstate and sites like this, are to focused hating us to notice that they have a party of aimless, stumbling clowns representing them. In any case they can't bring themselves to think about it, as with Clinton it reflects directly on them.
"a man's admiration for absolute government is proportinate to the contempt he feels for those around him". Tocqueville
...that the 110th congress would've turned out this way. I don't think we could've accomplished as much if we'd been in control.
-imwithfred-
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is one that does something
It kills me to write this but Republicans are so much more effective in the minority. We're very close to gridlock and that's the way I like it.
You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.
I say just give Congress these three holidays:
1) First Tuesday in November: Election Day
2) Day after First Tuesday in November to Jan 3rd 12 noon: winter festivals
3) Jan 3rd 12:01 PM through First Monday in November - summer vacation
Who would have thought that when Harry Reid said the "war was lost" he meant how a private citizen (after being attacked by the senate majority leader an 40 other senators including 6 Presidential candidates including Hillary Clinton)would crush and humiliate that same senate majority leader after getting his but kicked for a solid year by the President.I praise the 110th Congress they have showed the country what impotent,ineffective,incompetent,disingenuous and mendacious leaders that they really are and they have the audacity to seek the white house??? Ralph Porcelli Yonkers, New York
That time was short and congress had much to get done, including passing a budget.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777