Our Do-Nothing Congress

Senator Richard Shelby, in seeking a sixth term, has stalled the work of the Senate banking committee, which has not approved any of President Obama’s sixteen nominees.  Now why should Senator Shelby be re-elected if he does not do the work of the government to which he he was elected? 

Republicans like Shelby who have attempted to make Obama’s presidency “illegitimate” have, instead, made their own positions irrelevant. After all, why do we need politicians in Washington who not only “disapprove” of the president but refuse to do the work they were elected to do? What would you think of someone who was hired to work at a company and then refused to consider any of the work put on the desk but rather sat back doing virtually nothing but give speeches and collect a big fat paycheck? 

Why should anyone back home vote for such a person? We bemoan this  “do nothing” Congress, but the Congress will continue to do nothing until and unless the folks back home decide they want people how, whatever party they belong to, who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get to work. No excuses of any sort. No “I would work like hell but I don’t like the president” excuses. 

The rest of us don’t have the luxury of deciding that the boss is not to our liking so we just won’t do any work. Could any of us get away with that? Why should the US Congress? These people make more money than most of the citizens who vote. So who the hell are these constituents who vote against their own best interests? And, believe me, it is in no one’s interest to have people in Washington who do nothing. 

Nobel-prizing winning candidates for positions have not even been considered but have been allowed to languish until the candidates finally gave up on being voted on and allowed to get to work; bills that would have put many people to work on fixing infrastructure have not been voted on, not even considered; and yes Congress has repealed Obamacare at least sixty times and numerous bills curtailing the rights of women. Should a Republican president come into office, we might see a revolution¾but I am not sure that it would be to people’s liking once it became clear exactly what these measures meant for people’s lives and future.