Word: congression
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...problem: hordes of retiring baby-boomers, together with slumping tax revenues, have sent Social Security into the red several years earlier than expected. The current economic outlook puts the program’s solvency in jeopardy. So what does Congress do to save us from this impending disaster? The solution is obvious—pass a non-binding resolution...
...binding resolution is any bill that, by definition, cannot progress into law. These toothless acts have come to plague Congress. For example, a typical workday in Congress (Feb. 2, 2010, specifically) saw the consideration of such gems as H. Res. 957, which honored NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson for his “historic achievements” in winning the Sprint Cup, a resolution “recognizing the goals of Catholic Schools Week,” one declaring January 2010 (which ended two days earlier) to be “National Stalking Awareness Month,” and one congratulating...
...fact is, non-binding resolutions are ineffective and only divert Congress’s attention from our nation’s myriad problems. The majority of these missives receive virtually no media coverage, nor do they influence government policy. It took Congress eight days after the Haitian earthquake to pass H.Res. 1021, a non-binding expression of “condolences and solidarity.” (During those eight days, they named four post offices.) The high-minded Congressional statement likely offered little solace to Haitians trapped beneath rubble and distracted from governmental efforts to bring tangible benefits to those...
Proponents of non-binding resolutions say they offer Congress a chance to express its opinion on issues outside its purview. But why should it? The most notable example in recent history was the late Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha’s resolution demanding an end to the Iraq War. It stimulated debate but ultimately failed to steer military strategy. Congress should propose binding measures for issues that fall within its powers and ignore issues that don?...
...49th anniversary of integrated schools in New Orleans. All of these passed unanimously (Not even Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), the lone vote against the Jimmie Johnson resolution, could say nay). Though all in support of noble causes, these symbolic statements offer little more than an opportunity for Congress to pat itself on the back...