On occasion I enjoy the gavel to gavel coverage of Congress provided by C Span.
Recently a show involved the first day of the 114th Congress. All the new House members along with family members and children filled the seats and aisles. The first business was to elect a Speaker of the House for the new Congress. Clerks carefully called out names and votes were recorded electronically. Other House clerks dutifully tallied votes with eraser topped pencils. A simple majority vote, which could have been one and done in seconds by electronic means, stretched into an hours long litany of name calling and recalling. All the while, C Span cameras filled the screen with smiling politicians and squirming politician class children and babies. Finally, a winner was announced. Not surprisingly, the winner had been predicted by every network political wonk and weatherman months ago. Then, a series of self serving and congratulatory proclamations were made. Speeches promised a new age of political cooperation and harmony between elephants, donkeys, and tea drinkers. I say, yawn, yawn to all that malarkey !
As I absorbed all the silliness a capital idea dawned on me to control the Capitol confusion which burdens us with unneeded new laws and taxes every political season.
Since voting and making speeches are the most popular and well attended activities in Congress by congress people let it forever be their main business. I can recall in past sessions, half dead members being wheeled in to cast votes, make speeches, and pose for photos while supporting or opposing legislation. Unfortunately, most laws passed in Congress either cost taxpayers more money or take away more of our liberty. In my opinion, to provide politicians a means to vote and make flowery speeches let us give them harmless new legislative missions. By using poll numbers and exaggerated emotions political people can be tricked into doing anything.
Therefore, I propose that each legislative day the Senate and House of Representatives introduce laws with supporting arguments and appropriate committees to legalize the official United States color and number for the upcoming month. This legislation would provide grist for speeches, press conferences, and incredibly long unread bills. If an energetic Congress needed more material for new laws they could be directed to legalize a new national fish, reptile, insect, flower, bird, rock, tree, mineral, and animal for each upcoming month. This new lawmaking agenda would save Americans trillions in wasted spending and thousands of unnecessary laws. In addition to new lawmaking themes give Congress and all their aides and lobbyists 10 or 11 months of extra holidays.
Moving on, a new role for all the zany characters that waste air and natural resources at the United Nations might be employment as test laboratory animals or crash car dummies.
Recently a show involved the first day of the 114th Congress. All the new House members along with family members and children filled the seats and aisles. The first business was to elect a Speaker of the House for the new Congress. Clerks carefully called out names and votes were recorded electronically. Other House clerks dutifully tallied votes with eraser topped pencils. A simple majority vote, which could have been one and done in seconds by electronic means, stretched into an hours long litany of name calling and recalling. All the while, C Span cameras filled the screen with smiling politicians and squirming politician class children and babies. Finally, a winner was announced. Not surprisingly, the winner had been predicted by every network political wonk and weatherman months ago. Then, a series of self serving and congratulatory proclamations were made. Speeches promised a new age of political cooperation and harmony between elephants, donkeys, and tea drinkers. I say, yawn, yawn to all that malarkey !
As I absorbed all the silliness a capital idea dawned on me to control the Capitol confusion which burdens us with unneeded new laws and taxes every political season.
Since voting and making speeches are the most popular and well attended activities in Congress by congress people let it forever be their main business. I can recall in past sessions, half dead members being wheeled in to cast votes, make speeches, and pose for photos while supporting or opposing legislation. Unfortunately, most laws passed in Congress either cost taxpayers more money or take away more of our liberty. In my opinion, to provide politicians a means to vote and make flowery speeches let us give them harmless new legislative missions. By using poll numbers and exaggerated emotions political people can be tricked into doing anything.
Therefore, I propose that each legislative day the Senate and House of Representatives introduce laws with supporting arguments and appropriate committees to legalize the official United States color and number for the upcoming month. This legislation would provide grist for speeches, press conferences, and incredibly long unread bills. If an energetic Congress needed more material for new laws they could be directed to legalize a new national fish, reptile, insect, flower, bird, rock, tree, mineral, and animal for each upcoming month. This new lawmaking agenda would save Americans trillions in wasted spending and thousands of unnecessary laws. In addition to new lawmaking themes give Congress and all their aides and lobbyists 10 or 11 months of extra holidays.
Moving on, a new role for all the zany characters that waste air and natural resources at the United Nations might be employment as test laboratory animals or crash car dummies.
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