They all need to go.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/112th_United_States_Congress

       So here we are day one, 2013.  Back sometime last year we were made aware of a looming "fiscal cliff".  Congress, with their usual show of bravery, and willingness to address pressing issues, opted to put off making a decision until after the election season.  This is so any pain that was inflicted by a tax increase, or program cut, would happen after the selfish, greedy leeches had assured themselves another term.
       To be clear, I'm calling out both parties on this.  Both Democrats and Republicans voted to put off making the decision.  In a speech on the last day of 2012, even the President called out all members of Congress, of every party, for failing to reach a consensus of any sort.  He praised the Republicans for giving ground, but stopped short of calling out his own party for failing to.  The message was there though, neither side is doing their job.  Mark your calendar, I agree with a sitting President whole-heartedly on something.
       So here we are on the First day of 2013.  The automatic cuts, and automatic tax increases have technically taken affect.   Now Congress is scrambling to pass some sort of compromise so that we aren't impacted much.  A job that is many months old, many years overdue, and frankly should never have been allowed to happen to this country.
       So as a service to you, I have included a link above to the Wikipedia page with the names of every member of both houses.  They all need to go.  None of them have done their jobs.  So the next opportunity you have, vote the lazy bums out.  Try voting for a dentist, or a plumber, or maybe even an engineer.  We have given the rich and the lawyers, and even the rich lawyers their chance, and where are we.
       Coins make better decisions when flipped, from a statistical standpoint, because they land on their edge so rarely.  Congress fails to decide something every time it is presented with a choice.


       I know many of you were waiting for a post about the proposed "Assault Weapons Ban".  I might still write one.  For now though lets go back to 1994.  Prior to certain politicians defining what an "Assault Weapon" was, there was no such thing.  The same rifle, with one stock option was not an "assault weapon", and with another stock option, was.  No mechanical parts changed.  The rifle functioned the same either way.
        Those same people, wholly ignorant of firearms, save for how scared an armed, law abiding populace makes them, (food for thought) have waited in the wings for an opportunity to make another attempt at removing this right.  Guys, when you lose half your base (Southern Democrats), I don't want to hear how the Republicans biased the public against you.
       You are doing it to yourselves.

       Just like we are, by allowing any member of Congress who was sitting in 2012 to be elected another term.

S 3414 Cyber Gun Control.

http://votesmart.org/bill/15638/41248#41248

       A quick synopsis: S3414 is yet another attempt by government to place scary "big brother" style laws in place to monitor / protect us from ourselves.  This of course is in the guise of "cyber security".  While this is deplorable enough in its own right, it is what was done to the proposed bill that really agitates me.
       An addendum was made to the end of the bill, after it was proposed, to "reinstate" the assault weapons ban.  I place that in quotes because the "ban" really only served to aggravate law abiding citizens, and make money for collectors who sold "Pre-ban" guns at ludicrous mark ups.  The only saving grace is that any cyber security bill has no chance of passing.
       Rather than bemoan a liberal power grab, which this is an attempt at; I want to address the "root-cause" of this problem.  At the heart of this is the congress' ability to add irrelevant language to a proposed bill.  Bad enough when it is a pork barrel rider, but downright asinine here.
       The time has come for a law to be passed stating that each separate issue needs to be a separate bill.  End this behavior now.  How many perks were hidden in the Affordable Care Act, to entice state representatives and senators to vote for it.  Those should all be separate issues, and would never have passed alone.  This means that the congress would have had to pass it on its own merit.  (I will not speculate as to whether it would have happened, we all lived through it)
       Imagine, congress legally obligated to a degree of honesty.  Now if only we had one honest person in congress to propose such a bill.  (Which would, naturally have language added by opponents to kill it.)
       If only there were some other way to get this done.  Wait, I have a foggy memory of something from my constitution studies... (as should you all)
http://www.lexisnexis.com/constitution/amendments_howitsdone.asp

Although that method depends on state governments... Not likely to happen then is it...

       But then, in my world, people would shut off the TV long enough to be appropriately enraged at this behavior, by the people claiming to represent their interests, and leave the house to go vote.  A man can dream, can't he.