I'll try to not make this painful.

Okay, I know you probably didn't come to Days in Red to read my political views, so I'll try to make this quick and fast--like ripping off a band aid.  No, I'm not going to discuss the presidential debates, or even the presidential candidates (that's next time, muwahaha ;)), but the much lamer issue at hand--Congress.

Last Friday, I went with some coworkers to Luigi's, an Italian restaurant in downtown Midland.  At lunch, I overheard one of the ladies saying that it didn't matter who wins the presidency, what matters is who we elect to Congress since they, "control most of the issues that concern us anyway, the president just gets blamed for them."  Okay, fairly valid point (in case you're wondering, I kept my mouth shut!).  When I got back to my computer, I decided to research some facts on the 112th Congress (our current fine lawmakers) to see how they compare to previous Congresses, so I could see if this practice of "do-nothing" Congress is a tradition, or if it is a more recent development.

The paradoxical thing about Congress, is that the Framers of the Constitution designated Congress as the branch of government that is the most directly connected to the people, yet it is the institution that we Americans despise the most.  Incidentally, the Supreme Court is the most removed from the people and public opinion, yet Gallup polls declare that the Court is the institution we trust the most.  Wait...what?  Gallup research also indicates that Americans don't dislike their congressperson, it's everyone else's.

Regardless of your political views, the fact that Congress is morally bankrupt is something we can all agree on.  But, just how bad is it?  

Bad, my friends.  

This batch of "Brooks Brothers barnacles" has managed to do worse than the 111 Congresses that preceded them.  They've broken the system.  The approval rating of the 112th Congress is hovering above the margin of error--and that's only because a percentage of people polled believe the president to be Martin Sheen (the president in the hit TV series The West Wing).

Let's start with the Senate.  Because of the abuse of the filibuster, the Senate is now dysfunctional.  The filibuster is a practice as old as the institution that was originally designed to delay vote through a senator's blabbering.  Famous uses of the filibuster have gone on for up to 24 hours (really, people, come on).  Now, this practice is used a veto threat by both parties, and anything less than the 60-member super majority means stalemate.  In other words, without a super majority "nothing" is possible.  The same amount of votes it takes to amend the Constitution is now the same number of votes it takes to rename a post office.

Speaking of renaming post offices, that is about all the House has been doing for the past two years.  Naming things that already have a name.  Out of the pathetic 124 laws that have originated in the House, 27 of them have been to rename post offices (See congress.gov). They have issued two commemorative coins.  How do they compare?  Typically, circa 300 laws originate in the House every two years regardless of party control.  

What has the House been doing?  See Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader's website.  According to the official House calendar, the House is "in session" 104 days this year.  104 days out of 365?!  That's less than four months!  I used to think that House recess was a Nancy Pelosi thing--nope.  Seems as if the "do nothing" attitude doesn't discriminate against party.  I don't know if that cracks me up, or if that deeply insults me.  Haven't decided yet.  But I have decided that I want to be a congresswoman so I can party all the time.

Doing "nothing" would be something to aspire to.

The House has voted (and failed) to overturn ObamaCare 33 times.  As if the president would ever sign that piece of legislation.  Ever.  (Yep, that's right, not only are they unsuccessful at creating new laws, they're unsuccessful at disbanding old ones.)

Congress is on yet another break right now until November 13, to go campaign for the jobs that they already don't do.

When I was discussing all this with my dad the other evening he made the argument that maybe this is a good thing.  The less the government does, the better.  What do you think?  Why are they there in the first place?

The choice is yours, people.  Vote.

My Mid-Hiatus

Holy moly!  Good morning! Man, I am happy to be blogging today.  Days in Red has been on quite the hiatus (I know you're thinking "Hiatus? Yeah, right! More like a full-on break-up! But it's hip to use the word "hiatus" in the Blogosphere, so I'm taking full advantage) the past nine months, but we’re back and ready-oh, so ready- to write. 

My last post I wrote to you from a Starbucks in Leeds, England where I was finishing up my semester abroad and only hours away from returning to America.  Today, I write to you from an office building in Midland, Texas (a little less climatic, I know).  In the last nine months, I have been to Boston, New Orleans, upstate New York, and all over west Texas and southeast NM.  I attempted to be—and failed miserably—a waitress at an expensive Latin restaurant in the chic north Dallas suburbs.  I have started and completed a sales associate position at Nordstrom—a top upscale American department store and a great company to work for (and a great way to stock your wardrobe… just sayin’…).  

Also, I watched my parents wrestle with a difficult decision to sell their dream home in Murphy (one of those chic north Dallas suburbs) and give up their brief life as big-city people, to come back to their roots in the sticks of west Texas to follow an opportunity that was too-good-to-pass-up.  I’ve also been back to Albuquerque (shout out to all my ABQ homies!) to have LASIK eye surgery—which was totally awesome and amazing.  While all that madness has been happening, I’ve also applied to about 443 jobs.  So, a lot has been going on!

My parents and I are now living in Midland, TX and it’s… well, it’s not Dallas J.  But it isn’t bad either.  It is just taking some adjusting for me.  My parents are in the middle of building a house, so they’re fairly consumed with that and all it entails.  And I’m working a job that I hate, which is allowing me to write to you fine folks, and to also keep looking for another job elsewhere, so I guess it isn’t so bad either.  I don’t have any friends here yet, so I’m spending my time powering through novel after novel, job application after job application.  Oh, and I’ve started doing INSANITY, a 60-day workout program that is absolutely miserable, but kind of wonderful at the same time.

Y’all—how about Days in Red’s new look?!  Spiffy, eh?  I know there is still stuff I need to add like Photos, and stuff in the About Me, but I’ll get there.  I just couldn’t wait any longer to get this post up.  Thanks for stopping by, I love you, and let’s talk again soon.