Guys, remember when congress used to pass laws?

[ksen]

Some laws you might agree with, some laws you might disagree with but at least things were working.

Do you think we'll ever get there again?

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Not without a massive overhaul of your political system. It's too advantageous for individual politicians to pander to their bases at the expense of the common good and to be in constant campaign mode domonizing the opposition. Combine that with the complete failure of your news media to provide any accurate non-Kardasian-related information or any sort of context to the shallow, buzz-word summaries which they do give, you're not having anything change soon.

 

[ksen]

This piece by Ezra Klein I saw yesterday is a pretty good explanation about why we'll probably not see a working congress again for quite a while.

The paper is a reminder that American politics is fundamentally rational. Republicans are uncompromising because compromise tends to expand the scope of government. Democrats are willing to make deep concessions because policy moves in a generally liberal direction.

 

[dismal]

Bah, who needs a congress when we have executive orders and regulatory agencies that can interpret laws as saying things they don't?

 

[untermensche]

If the Congress were working towards common goods then progress could be made.

But too many are working for the good of a very few at the expense of many which creates difficulties.

Spoilers of the environment many times have great wealth and influence through the profits of their spoilage for instance.

 

[arkirk]

This piece by Ezra Klein I saw yesterday is a pretty good explanation about why we'll probably not see a working congress again for quite a while.

The paper is a reminder that American politics is fundamentally rational. Republicans are uncompromising because compromise tends to expand the scope of government. Democrats are willing to make deep concessions because policy moves in a generally liberal direction.

I think the problem is not that simple. Republicans are uncompromising because they have the money to just keep demanding even when they are democratically rebuked. Republicans make a thing of the national debt and yet whenever we get Republicans in charge, they sponsor wars and other activities that expand the national debt without any conscience. Republicans also use their money to roll back controls on any government feature that might affect the profits of their rich sponsors. They do not give a whit about the size of the government, just that it does not interfere with the profits of those who sponsor them in government. That goes for their protection of crooked banksters, military industrial operators, oil interests, etc. Now in this realm, the democrats are not exactly innocent either. It is wrong to characterize Republicans as seeking small government. They are happy with a giant military establishment that must be characterized as a function of government. They do not care about any debt the military may incur because they know their sponsors hold the notes on the whole damned thing. It is really pretty simple...just not the simplicity of the charts shown here.

 

[Axulus]

Some laws you might agree with, some laws you might disagree with but at least things were working.

Do you think we'll ever get there again?

Why is passing a larger number of laws a sign that things are "working"? Why are bad laws almost never repealed? Shouldn't we also demand that a working congress repeal bad laws just as often as it passes new laws?

 

[ksen]

Some laws you might agree with, some laws you might disagree with but at least things were working.

Do you think we'll ever get there again?

Why is passing a larger number of laws a sign that things are "working"?

How about any significant laws? Congress's purpose is to legislate. If they're not legislating they are not doing their job. Unless you're of the opinion that we've reached that sweet point where everything that's needed to be legislated has been legislated so nothing else remains to be done?

Why are bad laws almost never repealed? Shouldn't we also demand that a working congress repeal bad laws just as often as it passes new laws?

Sure, I'd be up for that too.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Why is passing a larger number of laws a sign that things are "working"?

How about any significant laws? Congress's purpose is to legislate. If they're not legislating they are not doing their job. Unless you're of the opinion that we've reached that sweet point where everything that's needed to be legislated has been legislated so nothing else remains to be done?

What are you talking about? In the past week alone, Congress has passed a resolution celebrating the 125th anniversary of the State of Wyoming and others congratulating not only the Chicago Black Hawks, but also the Golden State Warriors for winning their respective championships.

Say what you will about Congress, but they're clearly keeping busy and being productive.

 

[dismal]

How about any significant laws? Congress's purpose is to legislate. If they're not legislating they are not doing their job. Unless you're of the opinion that we've reached that sweet point where everything that's needed to be legislated has been legislated so nothing else remains to be done?

What are you talking about? In the past week alone, Congress has passed a resolution celebrating the 125th anniversary of the State of Wyoming and others congratulating not only the Chicago Black Hawks, but also the Golden State Warriors for winning their respective championships.

Say what you will about Congress, but they're clearly keeping busy and being productive.

Congress could probably pass 100 laws tomorrow if the obstructionist Democrat minority senators wouldn't filibuster them and the obstructionist Obama would sign them.

 

[prideandfall]

Combine that with the complete failure of your news media to provide any accurate non-Kardasian-related information or any sort of context to the shallow, buzz-word summaries which they do give, you're not having anything change soon.

minor quibble here: you say that like the mainstream corporate news media outlets have "failed" somehow - when in fact, they're succeeding quite supremely at delivering to the american people what the american people are demanding from their news outlets.
it's not MSNBC or CNN or god help me for saying this even FOX's fault that the US populace is overwhelmingly ignorant, uneducated, apathetic, lazy, hypocritical, corrupt, and so blinded by labels of ideology that it suppresses the desire for progressive change.
the news in the US is nothing more, or less, than exactly what the US people demand and what the US people deserve.