Schoolhouse Rock it’s not.
Many, heck, most people think when they vote for a federal politician -a representative- they are voting for a person who will go to Washington DC and write or enact legislation. This is the old-fashioned “schoolhouse rock” perspective based on decades past.
There is not a single congress person who writes legislation or laws.
In 2017 not a single member of the House of Representatives or Senator writes a law, or puts pen to paper to write out a legislative construct. This simply doesn’t happen.
Over the past several decades a system of constructing legislation has taken over Washington DC that more resembles a business operation than a legislative body. Here’s how it works.
Outside groups often called “special interest groups” are entities that represent their interests in legislative constructs. These groups are often corporations, banks, financial groups or businesses; or smaller groups of people with a similar business connection who come together and form a larger group under an umbrella of interest specific to their like-minded affiliation.
Sometimes the groups are social interest groups; activists like climate groups, environmental interests etc. The social interest groups are usually non-profit constructs who depend on the expenditures of government to sustain their cause or need.
ht/ cato
I think most conservatives figured this out. It just makes you sick when you read it though.
“That’s why the bills they talk about (ie. El Chappo, Clean Repeal etc.) never actually materialize…. they are raising money, not legislation.”
And we’ll re-elect the pricks. Kick the football, Charlie Brown, I promise I won’t tumble your ass this time.
Lost a lot of respect for an old friend this week who I helped get elected to congress. A texting conversation with him tells me that he’s lost his way. Sad. I feel sorry for Trump. If a guy like my old conservative friend has been coopted after 1.5 terms (3 years) it’s a more devious quagmire than even a skeptic like me suspected.
Article from 2013
+Paul Ryan’s Connections to Insurance Companies
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/03/paul-ryans-connections-to-insurance/
+Summary of Political Contribution data 2016
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cycle=2016&type=C&cid=N00004357&newMem=N
@PHenry
Same here, my friend of 31 years became beholden to the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee (Run by Paul Ryan).
They spent nearly $2 Million dollars to get him elected.
If he doesn’t tow the legislative line, the Congressional Committee will not fund his campaign for re-election. Most Jr. Congressmen can’t raise the $Millions it takes to get re-elected in their own Districts (unless they are on a powerful committee, lobbyists throw cash at them or they become corrupt).
He is representing him self to keep his Congressional seat, not the district or Nation …. that wasn’t his plan to begin with, but that’s the reality now.
It appears retaining your lofty position and perks outweighs principles.
I expect President Trump gets more disgusted by the day.
Ditto for most State Legislatures.
That was the BEST piece I have read since the inauguration. PHENOMENAL and 100% TRUE.
Where’s the asteroid when it’s needed?
Not defending the turncoats, but I have little doubt that these creeps in D.C., if they are not comprimised somehow, .or blackmailed, at first start out by rationalizing that they have to play ball in order to get re-elected so they can have some positive effect. Before long, they find they played ball to a point of no return.
The honeytrap compromise makes much more sense re: those who ditch the conservatism they ran on while continuing to lie for votes. That, or they lied right from the start and never were conservative.
Read this yesterday and it went along way to explain alot about our mess. The first thing that came to my mind was “why don’t the republicans have a health plan ready.”
The original intent was “go for two and come back to normal life”.
If candidates could convince themselves (and stick to it) that it’s “one and done” then they wouldn’t be concerned at all with getting re-elected and thus could focus on doing what’s right for the country.
As for the legislation, all the more reason to scrap the current government bureaucracy and get back to basics.
Laws that can be read in 10 minutes or less and don’t require: 1) a legal degree; 2) knowledge of three separate languages; and 3) a suspension of all logic to understand.
Fire Ryan……..deport Schumer!!!!!!!
Same pile o’ shit Congress that we had with the Dindu Nuffin – what a surprise….