The Idiots Guide to Being in Congress

You know, sometimes I cannot believe what congress does. And given the current approval rating that congress is getting in the polls maybe we as Americans have finally woke up to the fact that these people are idiots.



There are shelves of self help books to be found in book stores every where. The Internet for Dummies, Computers for Dummies, Carpentry for Dummies. May I suggest a new book...The Idiots Guide to Being in Congress. Although from the look of things they don't need it. They have the process down to a science.



To prove my point I am going to list two examples that have occurred during the current administration. We all know that there are so many others and that it happens to presidents from both parties. Which just means that this is the one place where we seem to have bi-partisan politics.



First, lets us go back in history to just after September 11th attacks in 2001. It was setup in our constitution that only the legislative branch has the authority to take this country to war. Then came the war powers act where congress gave up that constitutional power. Following the attacks on 9/11 congress again gave up its power to the president.



Now on the surface this seems a bit stupid. But remember the Idiots Guide to Being in Congress, why do it and get blamed when you can give the authority to someone else, in this case the president, let him do and then whine about everything they do. You must admit that it works pretty good doesn't it! Everyone is always ready to blame Bush for the actions in Iraq and Afghanistan yet want to forget that it was Congress who voted (and still are voting) to allow and fund these actions.

Now we have the border fence that the Department of Homeland Security wants to build on the border with Mexico. In 2005 congress passed a law that gave the executive branch of our government the ability to ignore environmental and other laws to complete this fence. Well...the executive branch used that option and did exactly that. The case ended up going to the Supreme Court. This involved a two-mile section of the fence near Naco, Arizona. The high court rejected to even hear the case and now the lawmakers are outraged.

Oh please...you passed the law and the president and the Secretary of Homeland Security took the action. Fourteen house democrats filed briefs in support of environmentalists in this case.

All fourteen have been in congress since the law was passed in 2005. Most have also been in congress since the original law was passed in 1996 that allowed bypassing laws and regulations.

I wonder how the idiots voted for those two pieces of legislation? Well...forget your own responsibility and pass the buck.

I'll bet that is in Chapter One of The Idiots Guide to Being in Congress.

That is my opinion...what is yours?