Our 110th Do Nothing Congress

In the opening hours of the 110th Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) promised a marathon 100 hours in the opening days in which Democrats were going to 'hit the ground running', passing legislation to ensure the most open and honest Congress in the nations history.

At first the Democrats' domestic agenda appeared to be sailing through the
House with overwhelming bi-partisan support for Homeland Security initiatives, a higher federal minimum wage and student loan interest rate cuts only to have these bills stall in the Democratic controlled Senate. Not a single priority of the Democrats' agenda has been enacted into law.

Nancy Pelosi's Congress is not much different than many before her. Harry Truman called the Congress in his time the 'Do Nothing Congress' and since then salaries for Members of Congress have steadily risen from $12,500.00 to $165,200.00

So to be fair our 'Do Nothing Congress' does know how to increase their own pay and spend the peoples money.

From 1789 to 1815 Members of Congress only received a per diem of $6.00 a day while in session. In 1989 Congress passed a resolution allowing for automatic pay raises unless specifically voting to reject the pay increase.

In the 'Wall Street Journal' (Nov. 11, 1999) Albert Hunt wrote about the 'Sorry 106th' Congress and said, "...the majority showed they cared more about campaign contributors than voters. Among the items side tracked were a patient bill of rights and campaign finance reform..." (Of course between 1998-2000 Congressional salaries rose from $136,700.00 to $141,300.00)

Former Congressman Joe Scarborough who was the first Republican to represent Northwest Florida since 1873 was elected to Congress in 1994 and wrote in the 'Wall Street Journal' (Sept. 23, 2004) "Ten years ago the Republican congressional candidates like me were running as Washington outsiders, promising to balance the budget...We campaigned against the Imperial Congress and promised Americans that if we got elected, we would be different. We lied."

In 2004 Joe Scarborough published 'Rome Wasn't Burnt in a Day' which provides an inside look into what really goes on behind closed doors in Washington and how this contributes to reckless federal spending. Currently Mr. Scarborough may be seen nightly on his program 'Scarborough Country' on MSNBC

From 2001-2004 runaway federal spending in the Republican controlled Congress increased 25% to an average cost of $20,000.00 per household (Defense spending since the attack on 9/11 amounted to less than 50% of the federal spending increases) So where has all the money gone?

In 2006 the Republican controlled Congress included money in spending bills:

$13.5 Million Dollars for an Irish group that funds the 'World Toilet Summit'
$6.4 Million Dollars for 'Wood Utilization Research'
$1 Million for water free urinals
$500,000.00 for a Tea Pot Museum in Sparta, NC
$100,000.00 for the 'Richard Steele Boxing Club' in Henderson, NV

Today's Congress under the management of Nancy Pelosi has insisted that she be provided regular use of Air Force passenger jets which she claims is required for her security. Former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert relied upon Air Force commuter type jets which he gained access to following the 9/11 attacks.

In recent weeks, the Democratic House have included a provision in a water development bill that will benefit property in which Nancy Pelosi's husband owns in San Francisco. This $15 Billion Dollar 'Water Resources Development Act' passed the House by a vote of 394-25 and pays for hundreds of projects across the country.

It is business as usual in Washington, sending Congressional Pork home and in Nancy Pelosi's case, she has learned how to bring home the bacon quite literally.