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http://www.npr.org/2011/12/27/144319863 ... holars-say

Congress Really Is As Bad As You Think, Scholars Say



by Scott Neuman

December 27, 2011
Congressional approval ratings are on the rocks, hovering in or near single digits for the first time since pollsters started measuring them. But just how bad is the current congressional stalemate?

Thomas Mann, senior fellow of governance studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, is working on a book about Congress with a title that provides a succinct answer: It's Even Worse Than It Looks.

In modern history, Mann says, "there have been battles, delays, brinkmanship — but nothing quite like this."

The book, written with co-author Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute, is a follow-up to a 2006 book by the pair called The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track.

Mann acknowledges there have been worse times for Congress, but he reaches back a very long way for a comparison.

"There were a few really bruising periods in American congressional history, not only the run-up to the Civil War, but also around the War of 1812," he says.

<snip>

And yet people keep voting for the same incompetents.

We only have ourselves to blame.

The academic studies I've read trace the downward trajectory to the post-Watergate Congress that created numerous subcommittees. Essentially, this decentralized power and created mini-fiefdoms. Prior to this, the powers that be would dole out advantages and keep a reasonable lid on spending and other congressional action. However, with the decentralized power, there was no effective governance on Congress as a whole. It doesn't seem to matter if there are Ds or Rs in the seats of power, they just don't seem to be able to figure out how to effectively manage the entire government or live within their means.

What makes anyone think that individual Congresspersons are incompetent?

The current stalemate in Congress (about so many issues, but not all) is the result of a fundamental disagreement about the proper role of the Federal government in American life. There is no "lack of will" to correct the country's problems but there is a total lack of consensus about what the problems are and how to fix them.

And the same thing holds true of the best minds in our society. Economists can't agree on the most basic issues: Should government spend more to stimulate the economy or spend less, in order to avoid total collapse? Should we raise taxes to fund the Government we have, or lower spending to live within the revenues we have? Brilliant economists on each side of that point are absolutely certain they are correct, and are also ready to claw the Other Side's eyes out for being so stupid. Do we do everything we can to reduce our national "carbon footprint," or say, "Fuck it" and produce as much energy as we can, to minimize our reliance on foreign oil?

The People want Congress to be "smart" enough to figure out the nation's problems, devise easy, quick, and pain-free solutions, and get them done.

But the People also want their government benefits, retirement, Medicare, and other government programs; and want Government to take care of The Poor, The Homeless, people with disabilities, people seeking a college education, endangered species, the environment, Farmers, Native Americans, small businesses, hospitals, elementary and high schools, day care centers, and National (fucking) Radio. And we want beautiful National Parks, national shores, inland waterways, Amtrak, and a reliable Post Office.

And we want SOMEONE ELSE to pay for all this, namely, "The Rich," whom we define as "anyone who makes more, or has more, than I do." We desire this even though anyone with a $5 calculator can ascertain for a mathmatical fact that there are not enough rich people to even make a significant dent in the Federal deficit. Even if they were taxed at 100% of their taxable incomes.

It has been said - one could say, obviously - that the most efficient and best form of government is a benevolent dictatorship. But even a wise and benevolent dictator could not come up with the painless solutions that the American people want. And politicians, being the ultimate parasites, have no interest in delivering painful solutions to those whose votes they must have in order to survive.

So Congress muddles on in painful paralysis, while we foot the bill and wait for the inevitable crashing down of the House of Cards that is the U.S. Federal Government, because they have not the balls to do what is necessary - as defined in the Constitution. And if the truth be known, we don't want them to do what is necessary, because it would be very fucking painful for just about everyone.

And we call them incompetent?

Hardly.

You must be one of the less than 10% of Americans who approve of their job.

LOL!

Sorry. I didn't say I approved of what they are doing. I just tried to explain why the American People think they suck, merely because they are doing what they feel like they must do (to be re-elected).

I vote with the masses. I'd fire 90% of them in a heartbeat.

We only have ourselves to blame.

You, know there's a good case that can be made that our governmental system isn't broken at all, at least measured in terms of being responsive to what the population says it wants.....

For years, in poll after poll after poll, the American people by wide margins have consistently said that they want and expect government to provide a wide range of services and programs....

And also for years, in poll after poll after poll, the American people by wide margins have consistently said that they don't want their taxes raised to pay for these services and programs....

And guess what?

This is exactly what they've been getting for decades; just what they've been telling the politicians they want...

A wide range of services and programs that they haven't had to pay for....

Who says our democracy doesn't work?

And for a long time now, there has been a wide disparity between how people feel about Congress compared to their own representative. On an individual basis, most representatives are smart, well-spoken, and do a good job of appealing to the people in their district. Cumulatively, the way Congress is organized and operated, it has not been able to solve major problems until the problems are at the point of crisis.

Actually to do their jobs well there are times they have to make unpopular decisions. Unfortunately we've elected a bunch of people who would much rather keep their job than do their job well.

Unfortunately we've elected a bunch of people who would much rather keep their job than do their job well.

It's actually a false dichotomy Congresspeople are just afraid/unable to explain their actions to their constituents.

Crackpot wrote:Actually to do their jobs well there are times they have to make unpopular decisions. Unfortunately we've elected a bunch of people who would much rather keep their job than do their job well.

Can you blame them in this job market?