A Little Time Off

Congress has set a record for the fewest days in session, convening only 93 days, with only about 70 days going to actual legislative work.

Now that could be a good thing, if it meant fewer hearings, less intrusion, and smaller government. After all, it's hard to imagine good things when Nancy Pelosi starts three weeks earlier than usual next January in order to issue subpoenas, hold hearings, and try to repeal tax cuts.

But as we know, there hasn't been smaller government the last several years. While the Congress was only working about two months out of twelve, they did find time to increase their own salaries by $3,300. And instead of filling vacancies on the court in his waning days as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Arlen Specter is going to investigate the NFL and DirecTV because he thinks everyone should have access to NFL Sunday Ticket. After all what could be more important in the world than that? It's not like we're at war or anything.

Congress does have a long history of getting involved in gratuitous causes that don't amount to a hill of beans. And it's hardly a shock to see Specter running against the grain of common sense. But the reason that the Congress hasn't been working on anything worthwhile is that this was an election year (never mind that in 2000 and 2002 Congress worked twice as many days).

So let me re-introduce a solution to both the ridiculous diversions from worthwhile legislation and the absentee problem: term limits. Limit them to twelve consecutive years, two terms for Senators and six terms for Representatives. I don't even mind if they take a term off and come back for another twelve years, there might be a Congressman once in a while that would deserve it. But term limits would mean fewer re-election campaigns and less inside-the-beltway political wrangling. And that could equal more production and less pandering.