Editor's Note

Team member Beth Goin, due to unforeseen and extenuating circumstances, was unable to publish a blog this week. We extend our thoughts to Beth and anticipate her return to contributing.

Congress, Malaria, Bridges, OH MY!

I absolutely believe that Congress deserves the bad rap it gets in movies and in public opinion. The Senate in my opinion is a group of men and women who do nothing for the people of this nation and line their own pockets and pockets of friends, they get paid a great salary especially when people are talking about paying CEO’s of Fortune 100 barely six figures.

The Senate where many in it are sons or daughters of former congressmen is also a place where many of these people cannot even pay their taxes correctly. I feel they sit on perch and talk down to everyone from their seats of power in Washington D.C. but many Americans along with myself find people from other regions to be the problem. Many people around the nation would agree with Jefferson when he said Congress should be moved to a malaria infested swamp, people today feel that these people are crooks, liars and lack virtue. How can you when some like Ted Kennedy have been in the Senate for half a decade. People look and see that congressmen and women need to be swapped routinely because power corrupts.

The House of Representatives lay closing to their people and vote routinely along party lines, these people are closer to the people and have to work on their re-election almost right when they get to office, the House has not controlled matters since Clay left it and is a body that believes in uniformity then being able to stand out. Both places are imperfect and need changing and most politicians it is politics as usual when you get to Washington too many politicians don’t do the right thing. In most movies congress is shown to be power hungry men who lack any clear vision. They love the cameras and funding for their little “pet projects” be it a bridge to nowhere or some federal money for condoms, when it comes down to it these people focus on themselves. There are few idealists in the Congress and they are forced to change over time just so they can appear to get something done. Most people think that Congress is over-paid, too many vacations and too many lobbyists at their doors and the people’s inability to change the system. I think that Congress does deserve the bad rap they get in the movies because time and time again they show they cannot unify less than one central leadership nor get what the people want done. The Congress being Republican or Democrat has shown it cannot push through on their promises, the only established Congress that got things done were the FDR democrats. This group of individuals pushed threw the New Deal and helped the nation get back on track. Congress’ present favorable rating is less then the outgoing President and that says something about their leadership now. If Congressmen and women want to change the attitude it is up to them to change their politics as usual mentality.

Robert Foster