Is a productive Congress supposed to be a good thing? The 111th Congress was very busy, passing horrendous legislation that the vast majority of people opposed – that is why Nancy Pelosi is no longer the Speaker of the House.

‘Productive’ Congresses have been the greatest bludgeon used against liberty. The Hundred Days of the 73rd Congress, often cited as the most ‘productive’ Congress in history, was quite possibly the most harmful 100 days in American history. In just 100 days, Congress rammed through much of President Roosevelt’s New Deal, among the worst and most damaging legislation ever passed.

Likewise, the 89th Congress, which passed the bulk of President Johnson’s Great Society, is often praised for their ‘productivity.’ Is the government ever going to read us the score from the Great Society? Instead of ending poverty, the government scheme fostered dependence degradation. In fact, the Great Society played a seminal role in the destruction of minority families.

In contrast, the 52nd United States Congress, which sat for 13 months in their two year term, passed little of note. They weren’t concerned with “spreading the wealth around,” there was no imposition of “fairness,” and there was no debate over “tax cuts for the rich” because there was no income tax (and the sky didn’t even fall).

In the 1920s the government controlled 2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product. A law was passed limiting the height of buildings in Washington D.C. because government officials were worried that tall buildings would emphasize the irrelevancy of the government. If only we still had that ‘problem.’

With Obamacare passed, the government is poised to takeover 6 per cent of the economy in one fell swoop. ‘Productive’ should not be a compliment when applied to Congress. In fact, ‘productive’ is probably the worst thing a Congress can be. The last thing a Congress should do is hurry through masses of legislation, especially bills that no one has read.

Rather than ‘productive,’ Congress should be prudent. Every bill should be carefully considered, with arguments from all sides given voice. Elected officials should only vote on a bill when all alternatives have been considered. If that means less legislation is passed, all the better. Bring on a ‘do nothing’ Congress – for about the next hundred years.

Embattled Rep. Maxine Waters on Friday blamed the Bush administration for her ethics problems — saying she had to intervene with the Treasury Department on behalf of minority-owned banks seeking federal bailout funds — including one tied to her husband — because the Treasury Department wouldn’t schedule its own appointments.

The California Democrat said in a Capitol Hill news conference — an event rarely held during a congressional recess — that she reached out to then-Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson in late 2008 when his department failed to respond to the National Bank Association’s request for a meeting.

Of course, this sort of corruption shouldn’t come as a surprise from someone who, from 1996-2004 had relatives earning a collective total of $1 million from companies that Waters had helped in her role as Congresswoman.

Unfortunately, Maxine Waters is black, however. Therefore, I’m a racist.

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Typically I would suggest that this is simply a case of Representatives attempting to score political points. But, in a time when the government holds a major stake in GM and Chrysler, it appears that the government has more nefarious motives. It makes a lot of sense to demonize the competition if you want to boost GM and Chrysler’s sales. The government is in a unique position where they can abuse their powers to grow their investment.

Just another reason why government should stay out of business – private companies are at a severe disadvantage when competing against government owned companies.

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Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak, who was the central figure in the abortion debate surrounding the health care law, announced Friday he will retire from Congress at the end of this term.

Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak, the central player in a grueling abortion debate underlying the health care law, announced Friday he will retire from Congress at the end of this term, because “it’s time to begin a new and exciting chapter.”

So now, the newest moral conscience of the Democratic Party since Ted Kennedy will fade into oblivion as we remember the valuable lessons he taught us: don’t trust a Democrat, and the pro-life Democrats still have a price-tag.

Barack Obama talks a lot about the “spirit of bipartisanship.”  Now he’s had a chance to see it for himself, thanks to a series of diplomatic fumbles between the White House and Israel, usually one of America’s closest allies.  More than three-quarters of the US House of Representatives signed a letter expressing dismay over the direction of the alliance.

The contents of the letter shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of our readers who have read Ari and I (predominantly Ari) bash Obama on relations with Israel repeatedly since his coronation inauguration. A whopping 327 congressmen and congresswomen signed this letter, recognizing that Obama needs to stop penalizing the allies of the United States to suck up to its enemies:

We are concerned that the highly publicized tensions in the relationship will not advance the interests the US and Israel share. Above all, we must remain focused on the threat posed by the Iranian nuclear weapons program to Middle East peace and stability.

[...]

We recognize that despite the extraordinary closeness between our country and Israel there will be differences over issues both large and small. Our view is that such differences are best resolved quietly, in trust and confidence, as befits longstanding strategic allies. We hope and expect that, with mutual effort and good faith, the United States and Israel will move beyond this disruption quickly, to the lasting benefit of both nations.

A new Rasmussen poll shows that 52% of voters think the Tea Party movement is more in tune with Americans than the [Democratic] congress is.

52% of U.S. voters believe the average member of the Tea Party movement has a better understanding of the issues facing America today than the average member of Congress. Only 30% believe that those in Congress have a better understanding of the key issues facing the nation.When it comes to those issues, 47% think that their own political views are closer to those of the average Tea Party member than to the views of the average member of Congress. On this point, 26% feel closer to Congress.

Finally, 46% of voters say that the average Tea Party member is more ethical than the average member of Congress. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say that the average member of Congress is more ethical.

This is even more proof that the Tea Party movement isn’t about left-wing politics versus right-wing politics. It’s about individuals demanding more accountability and less intervention from their government. Had the House and Senate not been so adamantly advocating for a Health Care Reform plan that Americans didn’t want, these numbers may have been a bit different. But, that’s not the case. Also remember that 40% of Americans identify themselves as being ‘conservative.’ So, that extra 6% isn’t just there for free juice and cookies.