# Our dysfunctional congress neatly summed up **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 26, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-dysfunctional-congress-neatly-summed-up/995172 "2023-12-26T15:38:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-dysfunctional-congress-neatly-summed-up/995172/1 "2023-12-26T15:38:46Z")
I saw the article (below) and thought it should be shared. It highlights how congress has been close to worthless this year. It’s actually scary…there just doesn’t seem to be anyone steering the ship. > **[Congress passed so few laws this year that we explained them all in 1,000 words](https://www.npr.org/2023/12/22/1220111009/congress-passed-so-few-laws-this-year-that-we-explained-them-all-in-1-000-words)** > > Lawmakers didn't have a very productive year, but they did manage to pass 27 pieces of legislation. Here's what the laws accomplish. I’m not sure what can be done about this beyond, “vote the bums out” but we all know that is unlikely to happen. Some probably see this as a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2023, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-dysfunctional-congress-neatly-summed-up/995172/2 "2023-12-26T20:04:41Z")
One major source of the problem: about half of those in Congress believe that they were elected to Dismantle Government. So doing nothing, to their minds, is their key to generous donations and ultimate reelection. (Haven’t read the article yet, so apologies if I’m inadvertently repeating its main point.) The only way to solve the ‘GOP members pride themselves on getting nothing done’ issue, other than having a majority of voters decide never to vote GOP again, would be to restructure the entire place Constitutionally. For example, no reelection (serve one term and done) would explode the '_doing nothing will please the voters’_ reasoning. (I will read the NPR piece a bit later as time allows–looks good.) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2023, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-dysfunctional-congress-neatly-summed-up/995172/3 "2023-12-26T20:25:00Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > (Haven’t read the article yet, so apologies if I’m inadvertently repeating its main point.) The article just lists what they did manage to do and leaves the judgments about whether it was enough to the reader (although the title suggests they think it is a thin resume). It note congress has more business ahead of them in 2024. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2023, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-dysfunctional-congress-neatly-summed-up/995172/4 "2023-12-27T03:49:27Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > One major source of the problem: about half of those in Congress believe that they were elected to Dismantle Government. So doing nothing, to their minds, is their key to generous donations and ultimate reelection. > > (Haven’t read the article yet, so apologies if I’m inadvertently repeating its main point.) > > The only way to solve the ‘GOP members pride themselves on getting nothing done’ issue, other than having a majority of voters decide never to vote GOP again, would be to restructure the entire place Constitutionally. For example, no reelection (serve one term and done) would explode the '_doing nothing will please the voters’_ reasoning. I agree it’s a problem, but I don’t like your solution. There’s nothing wrong with being a career politician, and with time they develop skills and accumulate a lot of political capital. There is a lot wrong with lots of career politicians and yes, I wish the ones I don’t like would get hauled out after one term, but not the ones I like. A Congress of first-termers would be a disaster no matter who they are, it takes time to learn the job. Good people won’t put in the time and effort it takes to fundraise and execute a Congressional job if they knew the most they could get was two (or six, for the Senate) years. Grifters, on the other hand, might be able to rake in some good profits in one term, and there will always be another grifter to take their place. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2023, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-dysfunctional-congress-neatly-summed-up/995172/5 "2023-12-27T12:55:51Z")
The problem is almost entirely the Republican party. It has been since at least ‘16. Before that, perhaps Republicans’ share of the blame varied, but now they’re by far the biggest problem. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2023, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-dysfunctional-congress-neatly-summed-up/995172/6 "2023-12-27T22:02:52Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > There is a lot wrong with lots of career politicians and yes, I wish the ones I don’t like would get hauled out after one term, but not the ones I like. > > A Congress of first-termers would be a disaster no matter who they are, it takes time to learn the job. This is all true. “One term” solutions are all aimed at solving the problem of Money In Politics, of course. Only-one-term would do a fair amount toward solving that problem, but would incur the additional problems you reference. When government can be bought, the nation as a whole loses. Solving this problem would solve a whole host of other problems. If multiple terms are permitted (as at present), then oversight of the personal finances of Congress-members becomes ever more crucial. I guess that would have the virtue of creating thousands of jobs for over-seers…