Interesting article and right on. If you look at the legislation that has become law, it is very little. Quite a lot of building renaming though.

View Public Laws for the 110th Congress - THOMAS (Library of Congress)

American politics | Congress's new voice | Economist.com

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http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.

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De duobus malis, minus est semper eligendum

What did the GOP do during their 12 years ?
IMHO, the political process is a very slow one, and to expect major changes from a party with a thin majority in congress, and a veto threat from the White House betrays an ignorance of the US political system.

What they have done is to shift the political dialog. No one is talking about "Social Security Reform" or making tax cuts permanent or repealing the Estate Tax. The Iraq war has peaked, the "surge" has failed, and the policy towards Iraq is changing to the winding down mode. Attacking Iran with congressional approval is a non-starter.
While an aggressive military policy, tax cuts and massive deficits are fading from the political discussion, National Health, increased spending on education and a focus on the US economy are rising as political issues.
The power of the executive is being seriously trimmed.

Not bad for 6 months, check back in 12 years, it will make your head spin.

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“ The subjects of every state ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities; that is, in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the state.”

Adam Smith , The Wealth of Nations 1776

"We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals; we know now that it is bad economics"
FDR's second Inaugural Address

In fairness, they have accomplished slightly more than the square root of nothing.

The House installed what may be the most corrupt congressman in the history of the institution in a committee post that provided him with access to ultra-sensitive national security information, even after it was well known what he was being investigated for.

That's a pretty remarkable achievement for Speaker Pelosi.

Matt

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De duobus malis, minus est semper eligendum

You know better than that Matt. Only the committee leaders have access to any "ultra-sensitive national security information". Jefferson's seniority on his old committee gave him actual power. His status as a first year member of this one took the power away. I would have preferred no committee membership at all but I don't know if that can be done to a congressperson not yet convicted. I hold no brief for pelosi and certainly none for jefferson but your charge is unwarranted.

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A nation of slaves is always prepared to applaud the clemency of their master who, in the abuse of absolute power, does not proceed to the utmost extremes of injustice and oppression.
Edward Gibbon

I can live with the "little legislation" given the short time, the narrow majority, and the republican white house. But I do wish they had generated some subpoenas by now. Their failure to do so implies (IMO) a desire to delay the most sensational disclosures until close to 2008 elections. I am also aggravated but not surprised by the backsliding on promised ethics improvements.

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A nation of slaves is always prepared to applaud the clemency of their master who, in the abuse of absolute power, does not proceed to the utmost extremes of injustice and oppression.
Edward Gibbon

I think Pelosi actually never made him DHS chair. He was chair of the small biz committee. She had planned to make him DHS chair.

__________________
http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.

They raised the minimum wage finally after 10 years of no raise.

But they couldn't even get a no confidence vote on Gonzales because they don't have enough votes.

So until the dems can get a 2/3 majority, there isn't much they can do. At least the dems are holding hearings on Gonzales, Plame, Walter Reed and other issues affecting our country, caused by the republicans while they had their reign for the past decade.

Quality over quantity, please.

Though we're not getting much of either really.

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"Jesus said: I have cast fire upon the world, and behold I guard it until it is ablaze."
Gospel of Thomas

What's the point of holding these hearings? I bet if I managed to screw up Walter Reed the way the Republican admin did, I would be charged with criminal negligence. Sometimes being incompetent gets people arrested.

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Is our children learning? -George W. Bush

"I think—tide turning—see, as I remember—I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of—it's easy to see a tide turn—did I say those words?"—Washington, D.C., June 14, 2006

"[T]he illiteracy level of our children are appalling."—Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, 2004

Nothing is going to happen until a Democratic President is in the house.

The Bush Administration is using it's veto power to maintain the status quo... and I think it will until the day they leave office.

One thing that needs to happen after 2008 is repealing / correcting a lot of the stupid and damaging legislation made during Bush's tenure. NCLB, Patriot Act, Expansion of Executive powers.... etc.

The next president will have a lot of garbage to sort through and take out.

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Congratulations President-Elect Obama

This should not be a Democrat vs Republican debate....because both parties today are not putting the interests of Americans first. Until they decide to follow the wishes of the people who put them in power - they are scam artists.

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"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."
~Thomas Jefferson

"There is Still No Such Thing As a Fair Tax"

Min Wage has not become law yet. It failed in the Senate the first time, then they tried to included it in the Iraq funding bill which has yet to be passed by congress.

edit: wait, maybe they did pass it finally.

http://hr.cch.com/hhrlib/issues-answ...e=June-11-2007

__________________
http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.

Ok, found it. It was part of the IRaq bill. Wonder why the media didnt hype it up.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/...:H.R.2206.enr:

Guess the congress is now 2-4 for the session.

__________________
http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.

And yet, the Republicans were expected to work miracles with only the slimmest of majorities and an actively destructive opposition who had only its own lust for power and hurt feelings in mind.
Whoopie-fucking-shit....they're talking about issues they want to blame on their opposition.

Now I don't know about you, but when I really want to resolve a problem, I don't bother looking for who is to blame or where to pin the fault, but instead I look for the best way to fix whatever is broken.

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In case you were wondering, yes, there really ARE more idiots these days....technology has made natural selection obsolete.