Let’s be honest: The people who work on Capitol Hill aren’t doing anything.
I was originally asked to write a column about what conservatives should be asking of the 114th Congress for the remainder of its term.
The usual suspects came to mind: Repeal Obamacare, secure the border, and perhaps rein in some federal spending. But then I realized the futility of such requests.
What’s the point?
We elected a Republican House and Senate, who, ostensibly, should be blocking President Obama’s seemingly endless executive orders. Sometimes they do, but most of the time they just sit on their hands and wait for Texas to sue the administration.
What is the GOP’s agenda? Where are Republicans being pro-active? What can we cite as victories? What moves are being made that conservatives can even be remotely hopeful about?
How is the ball being moved down the field in the right direction?
Sometime this month, Speaker Paul Ryan is going to unveil some new policy papers. Mr. Speaker, please, save yourself the trouble. There’s no need. It really is a waste of time. What you’re proposing is about eight months too late and the worst kept secret in town is this: there is no real plan to pursue it aggressively to begin with.
No one wants to hear about agenda proposals six months into the year. It’s insulting. Playing catch-up doesn’t make you a hero, it actually makes you part of the problem.
You should have spoken up from the get-go.
On cue, members of Congress will feel the need to comment on whatever-clever-election-
How often do members of Congress even actually work? They’re out this week. Back for a few weeks in June and then out again for the 4th of July and national conventions. There’s August recess that somehow ends in mid-September. Then they leave again in early October until the election.
How many actual workdays does that add up to? Who else in America has a work schedule like this? And actually calls it work?
After recesses, of course there will always be some members who come back wanting to get their names in lights, wondering why Congress has done nothing and demanding action.
Yeah, you can stop with that too. No one’s buying it.
There’s only one thing Republicans have done successfully as of late: Let Donald Trump run circles around them.
The only time Republican leaders make headlines these days is when people are wondering if they’re going to approach Trump, or if they’ll endorse Trump or if they’ll comment on Trump.
This is not what congressman and senators are paid to do. Reacting to Trump’s every move is not a core congressional function, in case that wasn’t clear in the job description.
This is what happens when you have no plans or goals.
So let’s just quit pretending and be honest—left, right, Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative—everyone.
Men and women of Congress: You have no relevancy in Washington or the country.
You’re the ones who are constitutionally required to create laws and regulations and you simply do nothing.
So please—just stay home. If some hangers-on need to keep Congress in session, so that Obama doesn’t pull off some stunt, then fine. But for the 99% of the rest of you: Don’t bother showing up for work at all.
Instead, go volunteer at a charity. I’m serious about this idea. Volunteering at a charity in your district would be far more productive to society and a better use of taxpayer dollars. Please tell your staffs to do the same. Right now, the whole lot of you aren’t doing anything anyways.
Don’t worry about your paychecks. We will even pay you not to do your job. You can still call yourself a “congressman” or “senator” if you like. You can keep all the prestige, your business cards and still go to your happy hours.
But don’t come to Washington for the rest of the year and lie, and say you’re going to do something, because we both know—and the country knows—you’re not.
I mean, it’s now June and you’re just now rolling out your agenda. Please. We’re past the point of no return for this Congress.
You’re useless.
The first step toward rehabilitation is accepting that you, in fact, are the problem.
David Bozell is President of ForAmerica a conservative online activism community.
