Friday, August 3, 2012

Do Nothing Congress Takes A Break

Yesterday two commercial airliners passed within 800 feet of each other endangering the lives of several hundred people.  This “error” was caused in part by the fact that the radar technology we use to monitor these planes is the same technology we used in WWII.
If you travel across our nation you will come across tens of thousands of crumbling roadways, bridges and damns that were constructed in the 1950’s and 60’s.  They do not meet current safety standards and have not been attended to in decades.
The biggest single threat to our national security lies in our susceptibility to cyber attack.  While we have provided our military with the most advanced weaponry known to man we have all but ignored this gaping hole in our defense.
A large portion of our country’s heartland has been declared an agricultural disaster area.  Our farmers and ranchers are suffering from a year of drought and frost.  They are in desperate need of a comprehensive emergency farm bill to help them through this crisis.
The Bush Tax Cuts are due to expire at the end of this year.  As are the payroll tax cuts.  The debt ceiling needs to be raised to keep the country from defaulting on its obligations.  And $109 billion in sequestration budget cuts are scheduled for January 2nd unless a compromise can be found.    
These are just some of the issues left unresolved as the most inept and ineffective congress in the nation’s history leaves for summer recess. 
You might wonder why they are going on recess when so many important issues require their attention.  They are returning to their districts to do what they do best…campaign for re-election.  They are returning to their districts to explain to you why, in spite of their ineptitude and ineffective leadership, you should return them to Washington so they might “continue doing the people’s business.”
Republican Representative Tom Cole explained the unresolved issues to the New York Times this way:  “We are not going to be able to make a lot of decisions until the American people decide who the decision makers are going to be.”
Didn’t the American people decide that in 2010?
The legislative process in this country has been reduced to eighteen months of partisan gridlock followed by six months of re-election campaigns...interspersed with tax payer junkets and fund raising galas.  This farce will continue until we interject term limits into the equation.        

   
        

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