All members of Congress take an oath that includes these words: "I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter."
They have all violated the "well" part. Maybe "all" isn't fair -- I assume that there are some who are concerned with the real problems of the day, but party loyalty seems to trump everything else, unless, of course, that loyalty might interfere with re-election. In addition to violating the oath, Congress incurs debt knowing that it cannot pay, and without providing the means for doing so. If you or I walked into a store and purchased a TV with a check or credit card which we knew would not be honored, we would have committed a crime. Congress does this every day.
There has been a total failure to address the public interest and deal with the immense problems facing the country -- the deficit and the health care crises being high on the list. With one eye on the polls, the only interest that seems to motivate the members of the House and the Senate is re-election and partisan bickering.
The Congressional agenda in the order of importance:
1.Get re-elected
2.Get re-elected
3.Get pork if it helps re-election and complain about it if the opposition receives it
4.Get other party members elected and members of the opposition defeated
5.Malign the other party and oppose anything and everything they propose
6.Consider the public interest only if it helps in re-election
Although the Republicans are the main culprits, blaming the Commander-in-Chief for everything while they are the Obstructionists-in-Chief, the Democrats are not blameless. When I hear on almost a daily basis that certain Democrats have or may jump ship on health care reform because it might cause their next election defeat, I cannot help but wonder where their principles have gone? And as for the Republicans, we have this extraordinary President who had the audacity to hope that the issues facing the country were so grave that they would be addressed and resolved in a bipartisan fashion. He undoubtedly expected to encounter sophisticated, intelligent and experienced elected representatives dedicated to the public good, but rather found hair-pulling, name-calling kindergartners screaming and fighting to prevent anyone else from sitting at their desks.
"A plague on both your houses."
-Shakespeare, 1594