For the Left, which believes in bigger and ever more expansive government power, the notion of a "do-nothing Congress" being a failure seems logical. So once again we hear this term resurrected.
It's not quite a "do nothing" Congress – but it's not far off.With only a handful of remaining legislative days on their calendar, this current Congress is on track to go down as one of the most unproductive in modern history.
The paltry number of bills Congress has passed into law this year paints a vivid picture of just how bad the gridlock has been for lawmakers, whose single-digit approval rating illustrates that the public is hardly satisfied with their trickle of legislative activity.
According to THOMAS, the legislative tracking service, this Congress has passed just 52 public laws since it gaveled into session in January.
If that sounds like a small number, it is.
And in my book, it does not matter that this is a small number. After all, "more laws" does not mean "better laws". Indeed, my Ideal Congress would pass new laws in the single digits, and repeal statutes in triple -- or even quadruple -- digits. More laws generally means less freedom, while fewer laws generally makes for increased liberty.
And the mere fact that we have had fewer laws passed doesn't mean that there has been little work done.
There have been serious investigations into executive branch wrong-doing.
There have been several efforts to pass substantive legislation on the part of the House GOP -- efforts which were thwarted by the Democrats in the Senate. And the Democrats in the Senate have trashed the filibuster in a brazen fit of partisan hackery and hypocrisy.
I'll take fewer bad laws passed, even without my desired mass repeal of unnecessary laws, over more laws that stifle liberty.
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Comments on The Wrong Measure Of A Successful Congress
In one discussion of how to organize a new government for the independent Lunar, Bernado de la Paz suggests having one house of a multi-cameral legislature whose sole job is to repeal legislation. (RAH, [i]The Moon is a Harsh Mistress[/i]).
|| Posted by Fox2!, December 3, 2013 09:07 AM ||I
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