2012/01/19

What's going to get done has been done

For the past two years, I have tried to come up with an annual list of positive accomplishments of Congress. This year, facing a record level of dissatisfaction among voters (with a near 85% disapproval rating), I found it unsurprisingly difficult to even come up with even one positive accomplishment.

An accomplishment to me is when both chambers of Congress pass a piece of legislation that is beneficial to society, regardless of whether the president signs it. I would also count the passage of legislation in one chamber that has at least a moderate chance of passing the other chamber too. Therefore, the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" and "Protect Life Act" do not fit this definition, because they do not have a moderate chance of passage in the Senate.

Also, averting both a government shutdown and a default on our debt are not considered successes, because these are two situations where Congress made non-issues into potentially cataclysmic disasters.

Maybe I missed a piece of legislation that would qualify as an accomplishment. Any suggestions?

Or maybe I can highlight some accomplishments coming from the Obama Administration. Finding Osama bin Laden, raising CAFE standards, limiting mercury emissions, denying the sale of aboritfacients to girls over-the-counter, and "ending" the War in Iraq (whatever that means). Any other ones I missed?

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