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- More goes on in Washington DC than you might realize
More goes on in Washington DC than you might realize
- By Richard Burger
- Published 07/17/2008
- Commentary
- Unrated
You’ve probably heard by now that people around the country are a little disappointed in Congress. Their approval rating is 9 percent, and according to what I’ve read in several places, that is the lowest it’s ever been since somebody started keeping records of Congressional approval ratings.
That got me thinking about what Congress actually does. Generally speaking, they’re supposed to be conducting the country’s business. A lot of that has to do with passing public laws, or at least it’s supposed to. I read that the 110th Congress passed about 260 of those. That sounds like quite a few, but 74 of those were for naming post offices. I don’t know, maybe post offices are named differently in some other places around the country, but all the ones I’ve ever seen were just called the (Insert Name of Town Here) Post Office. I have to say, I’m a little surprised that takes a vote of Congress, but, then again there are lots of things that surprise me about that group.
In any case, only 148 of those 260 laws were what is called “substantive.” Here’s an example of a substantive law: The U.S. flag is required to be flown on Father’s Day. Being a father, I can’t really complain about that one too much, but it seems to me that’s a law that could just be tagged on to something that was a little more substantive.
To be really fair, though, Congress does have stuff to do other than just passing laws. The House and the Senate also take time to consider and pass non-binding legislative resolutions on a variety of subjects. You might be interested in some of them:
1. A resolution recognizing soil as an essential natural resource, and soils professionals as playing a critical role in managing our nation’s soil resources.
2. A resolution designating July 2007 as “National Watermelon Month.”
3. Congratulating the men’s volleyball team of the University of California, Irvine, for winning the 2007 NCAA Division I Men’s Volleyball National Championship.
4. A resolution recognizing the 70th anniversary of the Idaho Potato Commission and designating May 2007 as “Idaho Potato Month.”
5. Congratulating the Warner Robins Little League Baseball Team from Warner Robins, Georgia, on winning the 2007 Little League World Series Championship.
6. Expressing support for designation of June 30 as “National Corvette Day.”
7. Recognizing Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as being home to the earliest known reference to the word “baseball” in the United States as well as being the birthplace of college baseball.
8. Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a day should be established as Dutch-American Friendship Day to celebrate the historic ties of the United States and the Netherlands.
9. Expressing support for designation of a “National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day.”
10. Recognizing the 63rd Anniversary of Big Bend National Park, established on June 12, 1944.
There were lots more, but after reading just these 10, it became a lot more clear why the Congresspeople didn’t have time to pass more actual laws, particularly the substantive kind. It also became much more clear why their approval rating is in single digits. I haven’t heard any comments from anyone in Congress yet about their having hit that new low. Maybe they’ve just been too busy to notice.
That got me thinking about what Congress actually does. Generally speaking, they’re supposed to be conducting the country’s business. A lot of that has to do with passing public laws, or at least it’s supposed to. I read that the 110th Congress passed about 260 of those. That sounds like quite a few, but 74 of those were for naming post offices. I don’t know, maybe post offices are named differently in some other places around the country, but all the ones I’ve ever seen were just called the (Insert Name of Town Here) Post Office. I have to say, I’m a little surprised that takes a vote of Congress, but, then again there are lots of things that surprise me about that group.
In any case, only 148 of those 260 laws were what is called “substantive.” Here’s an example of a substantive law: The U.S. flag is required to be flown on Father’s Day. Being a father, I can’t really complain about that one too much, but it seems to me that’s a law that could just be tagged on to something that was a little more substantive.
To be really fair, though, Congress does have stuff to do other than just passing laws. The House and the Senate also take time to consider and pass non-binding legislative resolutions on a variety of subjects. You might be interested in some of them:
1. A resolution recognizing soil as an essential natural resource, and soils professionals as playing a critical role in managing our nation’s soil resources.
2. A resolution designating July 2007 as “National Watermelon Month.”
3. Congratulating the men’s volleyball team of the University of California, Irvine, for winning the 2007 NCAA Division I Men’s Volleyball National Championship.
4. A resolution recognizing the 70th anniversary of the Idaho Potato Commission and designating May 2007 as “Idaho Potato Month.”
5. Congratulating the Warner Robins Little League Baseball Team from Warner Robins, Georgia, on winning the 2007 Little League World Series Championship.
6. Expressing support for designation of June 30 as “National Corvette Day.”
7. Recognizing Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as being home to the earliest known reference to the word “baseball” in the United States as well as being the birthplace of college baseball.
8. Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a day should be established as Dutch-American Friendship Day to celebrate the historic ties of the United States and the Netherlands.
9. Expressing support for designation of a “National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day.”
10. Recognizing the 63rd Anniversary of Big Bend National Park, established on June 12, 1944.
There were lots more, but after reading just these 10, it became a lot more clear why the Congresspeople didn’t have time to pass more actual laws, particularly the substantive kind. It also became much more clear why their approval rating is in single digits. I haven’t heard any comments from anyone in Congress yet about their having hit that new low. Maybe they’ve just been too busy to notice.