This would be appropriate if you think Congress works, period. Wouldn't you love to work less then three days a week, and get paid for 5 plus the bennies?


http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/01/politics/congress-work-time

But a CNN analysis shows Congress has spent less time on Capitol Hill so far this year than in any of the previous five years.

House members have been in Washington for 56% of all non-holiday weekdays -- essentially, fewer than three days a week. Senators have walked into the Capitol for 61% of weekdays.

The weeks are not just shorter, but consistently so. The Senate did not have a single five-day work week in Washington for the first seven months of the year. The House had two.

CNN counted days that lawmakers were in Washington excluding "pro-forma" sessions, which are technically considered work days but last only a few minutes and are usually ignored by members.

The number of congressional work days now is significantly less than the high point of 2009. That's when the Senate met for 113 days before the August recess, which is 24 days more than the same period this year.

The House met for 19 more days in 2009 compared to this year.

At that time, Barack Obama was just beginning his presidency and Democrats led both chambers and pushed an aggressive agenda.

The time spent by members in Washington dropped sharply the following year and has decreased nearly every year since with each party controlling one house and partisanship defining the political climate.

I noted that they say "non-holiday" well hell shenanigans, ever stopped to look at how many federal holidays we have?

We have a federal holiday for everything anymore....from the births of individuals who really never did anything for anyone, but give some nice speech's, too celebrations of the almighty dollar.

Given the amount of useless, idiotic federal holidays we have, it's a wonder Congress is "working" as much as it is now as it is.

Considering were only to August, how exactly did they decide they were working less. Not to mention that 2009 was the start of a new administration and they always work more - if only to approve members of the new administration and see to the new Presidents request on funding changes.

Quote from: mdgiles on August 02, 2013, 07:03:24 AM
Considering were only to August, how exactly did they decide they were working less. Not to mention that 2009 was the start of a new administration and they always work more - if only to approve members of the new administration and see to the new Presidents request on funding changes.

We have a Republican held House of Reps so they must be lazy bums.

That is what the libs at CNN are really saying with this.

Quote from: daidalos on August 02, 2013, 07:05:30 AM
We have a Republican held House of Reps so they must be lazy bums.

That is what the libs at CNN are really saying with this.

Yeah, I know. I was simply pointing out how asinine their argument was.

Quote from: mdgiles on August 02, 2013, 07:08:32 AM
Yeah, I know. I was simply pointing out how asinine their argument was.

They also don't have to work 36hrs + a week for full benefits.


Are there hours counted when working on committees.  With all the scandals going on, that a full time job. 

In my view the less the better. They screw up everything anyway so if they are not there to pass all the pork the better off we are.

The less the better...

Another reasons why we need to take away their salaries, pensions, and benefits.  Once they get elected, their worse-case scenario is they get defeated with a nice pension and a Rolodex full of contacts.

I think Congress should be an unpaid position and should only meet for one 30 day session per year - with the option of being called to an additional 30 day session by the President during times of emergency.

Each Senator or Congressman should have a limit of 5 staff members - which they have to pay out of their own pockets.

-Darth

Quote from: Darth Fife on August 02, 2013, 10:14:58 PM
I think Congress should be an unpaid position and should only meet for one 30 day session per year - with the option of being called to an additional 30 day session by the President during times of emergency.

Each Senator or Congressman should have a limit of 5 staff members - which they have to pay out of their own pockets.

-Darth

Are you insane!  That would mean they would actually have to read those 2,000 page bills they keep voting on/sarc.

Quote from: mdgiles on August 02, 2013, 07:08:32 AM
Yeah, I know. I was simply pointing out how asinine their argument was.

What you were pointing out is you didn't read the article, or were unable to comprehend it. They discussed the formula they used to determine how "hard" Congress is working. Also, they were just as critical of the Senate which is not controlled by Republicans, and shows how asinine your argument is.

Quote from: Shenanigans on August 03, 2013, 06:43:33 AM
What you were pointing out is you didn't read the article, or were unable to comprehend it. They discussed the formula they used to determine how "hard" Congress is working. Also, they were just as critical of the Senate which is not controlled by Republicans, and shows how asinine your argument is.

If you had read this line:
"At that time, Barack Obama was just beginning his presidency and Democrats led both chambers and pushed an aggressive agenda."
which obviously you didn't. You'd have seen the genesis of the points I and daidalos, were making about this article being nothing more than the usual leftist B/S. But I guess since you're used to swallowing leftist agitprop whole, you probably didn't notice.

Quote from: mdgiles on August 03, 2013, 07:02:33 AM
If you had read this line:
"At that time, Barack Obama was just beginning his presidency and Democrats led both chambers and pushed an aggressive agenda."
which obviously you didn't. You'd have seen the genesis of the points I and daidalos, were making about this article being nothing more than the usual leftist B/S. But I guess since you're used to swallowing leftist agitprop whole, you probably didn't notice.

If you had read this line, which I even highlighted for you, then you would have understood how asinine your conclusion was:

"The weeks are not just shorter, but consistently so. The Senate did not have a single five-day work week in Washington for the first seven months of the year. The House had two."

Get your head out of the right wing propaganda, and try to think for yourself for a change. Not everything, or everyone, that disagrees with the right wing propaganda is "leftist".

Quote from: Shenanigans on August 03, 2013, 07:15:49 AM

Get your head out of the (step 1) right wing propaganda, and try to think for yourself for a change. (Step 2) Not everything, or everyone, that disagrees with the right wing propaganda is "leftist".

You want troll? I give you troll.

Easy two step directions. (1) build straw man. (2) knock down straw man.