If you ever have time to browse through some of the legislation being considered by Congress, unfiltered by the media, I recommend it, strictly for the entertainment value. The Library of Congress has a front-page link to all of "yesterday's" activity in Congress, for example.
You might be surprised (depending on how closely you follow politics) at how much time is spent unproductively. At least, I would consider voting on legislation that "condemns," "commends," or "expresses the sense of the Congress" to be unproductive in that it doesn't result in substantial legislative changes. For example, yesterday the House examined 50 bills (a light day), and below is just a snapshot of things they accomplished:
- Voted to congratulate sports teams and players, including: - Warner Robins Little League Baseball Team for winning the Little League World Series - Phoenix Mercury for winning the WNBA championship - Brett Favre for setting the NFL touchdown record
- Passed three separate bills to officially name three post offices
- Recognized Martha Coffin Wright on the 200th anniversary of her birth and her induction into the National Women's Hall of Fame
- Expressed the sense of Congress with respect raising awareness and enhancing the state of computer security in the United States
Buried in the fluff, there were some significant bills, such as H.R.400, which prohibits "profiteering and fraud relating to military action, relief, and reconstruction efforts." In fact, there were several important pieces of legislation, but that doesn't negate the fact that Congress wastes a lot of time passing meaningless bills.
Remember, we're electing and paying these people to run the country, and when it comes to passing legislation, I would prefer quality over quantity. Maybe if some of these meaningless resolutions were removed from the docket, Congress would have time to actually read the really crucial bills (see: The Patriot Act).
I know someone has to name the nation's post offices, but I'd prefer if it were someone other than an elected representative.
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