The latest Congressional approval rating I’ve seen, from December, reveals that 15% of our citizens approve of the work of our Washington legislators. Fifteen percent? That high? Was the poll over-weighted with lobbyists, lawmakers’ relatives, and residents in mental institutions?
Who isn’t aware that our proud career politicians, when they’re not squabbling with each other, run amok in other ways? They rarely appear on the House or Senate floors. They prod their staffs to produce thousands and thousands of pages of obfuscating prose that nobody (except trial lawyers) reads. Our politicos kowtow to lobbyists and blow smoke rings at those who elected them. And their obsession? Reelection! The longer they stay in office, the worse they become.
One of Donald Trump’s campaign promises was to drain Washington’s swamp. After he was elected, he faced daily crossfire from our major media, nearly all of whom seemed obsessed with ridding themselves, and us, of him. Trump was an easy target, given his bloated ego, mercurial mood swings, the tendency to contradict himself, and his outrageous tweets. Yet, in his spare time, he somehow managed to make certain changes in our domestic economy and in our foreign policy that I, among others, favored.
And now, with Trump at his lowest, and soon to be gone, the Washington swamp deepens. For proof look no further than the Covid Relief Bill, which sounds pleasant enough and suggests our vigilant lawmakers, their eyes fixed on our sinking economy, their hearts in tune with those squeezed by the pandemic, responded with relief for those in need. Balderdash! Let’s examine what really happened. As always, when money began accumulating in this appropriation bill, our herd of legislators stumbled over each other to slip their pet projects into the pot. But, as our economy continued to deflate, certain Congressional bosses, having no real interest in the carnage, stubbornly delayed passage to allow even more personal pork to be packed into one gargantuan sow.
This monstrosity, recently signed by the defeated Trump, should cause every citizen to retch. Imagine the worst giveaway ever, and discover you’ve pathetically undershot reality. Much of the massive loot will drain out of this country. Some $1.5 BILLION will go to places like Sudan, Ukraine, Nepal, Burma, and Cambodia (those dollars certainly will take a good whack at our Covid crisis!). This new law even awards “not less than $10 million” to be shipped to Pakistan for the study of gender issues? (Go figure!)
It gets worse. Greenbacks spill everywhere from this fat glob (5,593‑pages!). Hundreds of millions of dollars are to be shipped to other countries like Nicaragua, Vietnam, Peru, and Ecuador, to Egypt for its military, to Sri Lanka for boat repair, to Palestinian for economic aid. The beat goes on. Our politicos casually allocated some $40 million for the Kennedy Center, a venue popular with the Washington elite, and convenient for their attendance. And you, Mr. and Mrs. Citizen? If you’re not too rich, you’ll get your 600 bucks.
Even some of those who ground this political sausage were unable to endure its stink. Have you seen these gripes from opposite ends of the political spectrum?
“Members of Congress have not read this bill. It’s over 5000 pages, arrived at 2pm today, and we are told to expect a vote on it in 2 hours. This isn’t governance. It’s hostage‑taking.” (Tweet of Representative Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez, Democrat of New York)
“It’s ABSURD to have a $2.5 trillion spending bill negotiated in secret and then—hours later—demand an up‑or‑down vote on a bill nobody has had time to read.” (Tweet of Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas)
The total cost of this hideous statute is pegged at $2.3 trillion dollars, with about 1.4 trillion destined for other government expenses. The digits are small, but they represent trillions. For many individuals, including me, millions, billions, and trillions of dollars are so gigantic that they blur in the mind. To better appreciate their immensities, it helps to look at dollars as if they were units of time. Here’s a comparison I picked up years ago. One million seconds pass in about 11.5 days. One billion seconds last almost 32 years. And one trillion seconds? Well, that interval stretches to over 30,000 years.
Must we continue to allow our wastrels in Washington to burn our wealth? Would these pork-barrel Machiavellians modify their behavior if strict term limits were imposed, thus clipping their cushy time in office? I think so. There is at least one organization (U.S. Term Limits) working toward establishing Congressional term limits by amending the U.S. Constitution. I recently skimmed through that organization’s website and signed its petition with enthusiasm. Perhaps you will consider doing the same.
