To hear them describe their jobs... their "public service callings"... members of Congress have the weight of the world on them. They claim to hold responsibility for everything that happens in the U.S., and are determined to fix anything that might be wrong, even if they broke it in the first place.

Being a U.S. Representative is financially lucrative, not only during the term served, but for the rest of their lives. Even if they leave Congress, their time there provides a reputation and contacts that insure unequaled future employability. It's hardly a wonder that so many try so hard to become part of Congress, and then try even harder to stay there for many, many years.

I've been very critical of Congress in the past, and undoubtedly will be in the future, but today I choose to "look on the bright side". I'm going to give you a a different look at Congress... specifically the silly, time-wasting side of the House. I consider this the "bright side" because if our representatives worked at hard at their job as you do at yours, they would wreak far more havoc than they do now.

In 1999, a typical year, there were 5,514 bills introduced in Congress. Almost 2,000 bills were introduced in the Senate and about 3,500 bills were introduced in the House. That's an enormous amount of proposed legislation... if the House worked a normal 5-day week, 50 weeks/year, that would be 14 bills/day. If you have an idea of the size and complexity of a bill, you'll be impressed at the amount of work... researching, writing, gaining co-sponsors, etc.

The scenario I just described is seriously scary... 14 new bills each day, creating untold laws, regulations, taxes, most of which we won't be aware of until they strike us directly. I should note that there are actually 4 kinds of "bills" or proposals presented: the bill, the joint resolution, the concurrent resolution, and the simple resolution.

Take heart! Reality is not as bad as it might be:

• Fewer than 300 of those 5,000+ bills became law.
  
  
• The House is in session an average of only 134 days/year.
  
  
• Many of those 300 bills are throwaways, "legislation" that is created, sponsored, written and introduced for the most frivolous of causes.

If you picture the house floor the way we sometimes see it, during heavy debate, or for a State of the Union speech... packed with Reps, in heated discussion, you obviously haven't visited the Capitol yourself. Most of those sessions are sparsely populated, with only a few members present, led by a Rep. assigned to be Speaker Pro Tem for the session.

Here are some of the heavy-duty resolutions recently considered by the U.S. House:

H. CON. RES. 264
Authorizing and requesting the President to issue a proclamation to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Constantino Brumidi.
(In case you're wondering... Brumidi was an artist who "decorated" the Capitol for 25 years. Mustn't forget him)

H. RES. 496
Commending the Louisiana State University Tigers football team for winning the 2003 Bowl Championship Series national championship game, and commending the Southern University Jaguars football team for winning the 2003 SBN Black College National Football Championship.

H. Res. 498:
congratulating the Grand Valley State University Lakers football team for winning the 2003 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Football National Championship

H. Con. Res. 355:
congratulating the University of Delaware men's football team for winning the National Collegiate Athletic Association I-AA national championship

H. Res. 497:
commending the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons field hockey team for winning the 2003 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Field Hockey Championship

H. Res. 493:
congratulating the St. John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota, football team on winning the 2003 NCAA Division III Football National Championship. Introduced by Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota (for himself, Mr. KLINE, Mr. SABO, Mr. GUTKNECHT, Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. RAMSTAD, and Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota) submitted the resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

H. Res. 512:
congratulating the New England Patriots for winning Super Bowl XXXVIII

H. Res. 274:
honoring John Stockton for an outstanding career, congratulating him on his retirement, and thanking him for his contributions to basketball, to the State of Utah, and to the Nation

H. Res. 507:
expressing the profound sorrow of the House of Representatives on the anniversary of the accident that cost the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia their lives, and extending heartfelt sympathy to their families

H. Res. 157:
expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding several individuals who are being held as prisoners of conscience by the Chinese Government for their involvement in efforts to end the Chinese occupation of Tibet

H.J. Res. 84:
recognizing the 93d birthday of Ronald Reagan

Congress also occasionally awards Congressional Gold Medals to people who have made salutory contributions to our nation. Here are some of them:

Charles Schultz
Frank Sinatra
Harry Chapin
Fred Waring
Danny Thomas
John Wayne

When Congress is actually doing something, and Representatives take the floor to speak, every word is taken down stenographically, and placed in the the Congressional Record. So... members of Congress are on the record, and presumably have to know what they're talking about?

Not quite. Members are permitted to edit and revise the transcripts of their spoken remarks. So, the record is really what they intended to say, or wish they had said. Wouldn't it be nice if we all could do that?... all those times when we wish we had come up with that snappy retort, but didn't until later... all those times when we said something a little dumb, but had no chance to retrieve it once spoken?

If you have some extra time, here's a link that will allow you to view the House proceedings for some recent days, with links that will allow you to read some bills, and get some small idea about what happens there. You might also want to look at the calendar provided by the House Majority Whip, Roy Blunt, to inform Republicans of what days they might need to be present for votes.

Congress is a strange, convoluted beast, filled with polite pomp and inane procedural rules that are changed to benefit the current majority party, and political manipulation that would be awesome if it weren't so destructive. It's very much about money and power. Unfortunately, it's about our money and their power. But... we can be thankful that they spend so much of their time on ridiculous activities. During those activities, they just may be doing no damage other than wasting our money.