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Part-Time Congress?

By Quin Hillyer on 12.15.11 @ 9:14PM

Rick Perry's call for a "part-time Congress" is inane, as if he is channeling Lamar Alexander's dumb 1996 theme of "cut their pay and send them home."

The problem isn't that Congress is full-time; the problem is that it spends too LITTLE time on legislative business, instead taking all sorts of "district recesses" which are basically just paid campaign occasions. Congress needs to be MORE full-tine, on the right things. Part-time? That just lets the president and the bureaucracy run wile. Dumb idea.

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Red Phillips| 12.15.11 @ 9:35PM

It isn't insane at all. A part time Congress would be a great idea. If the Congress was only passing legislation that is authorized by the Constitution, it wouldn't take much time.

Eric H| 12.15.11 @ 11:07PM

I don't think it's a matter of quantity, but quality. No matter how often they convene, they're not going to get much done if they insist on acting like stubborn children.

As for saving money by fiddling with congressional pay, I thought of an Idea about not blindly cutting, but prorating government pay that I've tried to get circulated. ( http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/prorategovtpay/ )

The general idea is that if a congressman makes money in 'side deals' in any given year, that money is carved out of their gov't salary. If every congressman and senator happened to make more than their salary, we'd save almost $100m.

Oldefarte| 12.16.11 @ 3:19PM

In political theory, it's a good idea; since the Washington DC environment is one of voter/constituents exclusion. These corrupt clowns get elected by the hard-working, taxpaying constituents in their home states, and thereafter proceed to journey forth to land of DC dinner parties, celebration balls, and social life; and give the middle finger salute to their bosses back home. Possibly Perry's idea of a little constituent micro-management may not be such a bad idea after all!!!!!!!!!