How Would You Rate Congress?
Jul 22 2010
Here’s a question to consider — How much confidence do you have in Congress?
There’s been a lot happening on Capitol Hill these last couple of years. The down turn in the economy, industry bailouts, passing of national health care reform, and rise in unemployment, always looming Medicare/TRICARE doctor payment cuts and the list just goes on.
Gallup just released its 2010 Confidence in Institutions poll and finds Congress comes in last place — yes, you heard right, that’s last place out of 16 institutions.
The poll (Congress Ranks Last in Confidence in Institutions) showed:
11% of Americans say they have a ‘great deal or quite a lot’ of confidence in Congress. (Last year’s rating was 17%)”
…Underscoring Congress’ image problem, half of Americans now say they have ‘very little’ or ‘no’ confidence in Congress, up from 38% in 2009.”
The Military continues to rank highest of all institutions, a trend that goes back to 1998. The institution has been #1 or #2 since the poll began in 1975.
Americans ranked Small Business #2 and the Police as #3.
The Medical System came in at #5, four points higher than last year.
Just slightly behind Congress were Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), coming in next-to-last place at a 19% confidence rating, one percent higher than the year before.
So, what do you think about Congress?
29 Responses to “How Would You Rate Congress?”
I do not find any place on these pages to Rate Congress even though it asks: ‘How would you rate Congress’. This does not make sense to ask the question several times and then not have a button so we can rate Congress? What am I missing? perryslagle@suddenlink.net Thanks.
In my opinion, while there a few who are worthy most should be voted out in November. Let’s start over. Let’s remind them who they work for.
I am appalled at how our Congress (society) has become “ME” oriented and not “what is good for America.”
But we must remember that it is ‘we’ who put them there and it is up to ‘us’ to replace them and get today’s “right People” in their place.
Unfortunately, too few citizens know or want to remember the commitment and sacrifice that has been made by so many to provide the safe, productive, and free America that so many in the world want to come to – but yet do not want work to continue. Worse yet are those who come here to subvert, reverse, and destroy what painstakingly has been built.
So the question is – not what we think of our Congress – but, “What do we think of OURSELVES?”
Are we willing to make the commitment to restore the values with which the initial architects and builders of our great nation formed America? Values that are inscribed on virtually every government building in Washington, D.C.
I respond with a resounding – “YES” – I hope and pray to GOD to be first in line.
I think that the recent poll awarding Congress the lowest standing in a poll of American’s confidence in sixteen major institutions reflects the way I, too, see this Congress. I have no confidence in Congress to follow the Constitution, not when much of what has been passed into law has been carried out in the dark of night and on weekends to avoid the scrutiny of the American public as much as possible. The current Congress has not listened to the will of the majority of the American people and continues to pass unpopular and huge unread bills. The recent bill mandating an eventual government takeover of all health care is one of those bills opposed by most Americans. The Congress and the current Administration are to blame for the state of the economy, the lack of employment opportunities and the squandering of unimaginable amounts of money, leaving the country and entire future generations to foot the bill for their short sighted policies. Hopefully there will be a return to what this country is and has always been, one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all. God bless America and those who serve. Every day I continue to pray for America’s future.
Congress is a complete joke run by power hungry fanatics or out and out liars. Comments and thoughts from those few members who do have the country’s future, or the principles upon which it was founded, in mind are kept from the general populace by a complicit so-called mainstream media. Without FOX News and a few other news outlets unafraid to report the total news we might never hear both sides of the story or the story at all. The make-up, backbone and direction of congress had best change in this autumn’s election or we may pass the “point of no return” during the next two years. Even should an electorate revolution be successful I fear a congressional lame duck session may continue to pass an illegitimate agenda – so little faith have I in the current congressional membership!
Thank you.
Thank you for your comment and question. This was meant to be more of a thought provoking question than a survey. So if I was misleading I apologize.
Both my husband and I (Major Donald A. Tantillo USAF Retired) are thoroughly fed up with Congress, primarily Republicans that are acting like spoiled children but also some Democrats. I think we need term limits for Congress with a maximum 0f 12 years with no extra benefits for medical or retirement, and they need to receive retirement at 65.
Perry and Others:
If you were to rate Congress on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest and most favorable mark, and 1 being the lowest, least favorable mark, what number would you give Congress as an institution?
It appears from the latest update from MOAA, there will be no COLA again this year, Yet, congress gave themselves over $10,000 pay increase in the last two years. Great to vote for your own salary increase.KICK THEM ALL OUT
I hadn’t thought about being asked how I would rate Congress numerically, but now that you ask I would rate this Congress as a minus 10 since the Constitution has been almost totally ignored by the majority of those in this Congress to include the rubber stamp approval of justices who appear not to believe in Constitutional law or the balance of power in government.
Thanks for responding Anon.
Folks, looks like we have a -10 grade for Congress from this member. Anyone else?
Someone gave you bad info, David. Congress passed legislation in each of the past two years denying themselves any pay raise. And the raise they gave up this year would have been $1,600. There’s a lot of this kind of wild assertion floating around the internet. We all need to double-check the accuracy (or the inaccuracy in this case) of such things before we pass them on.
While congress has problems getting things accomplished, I feel there are many talented members. Of the two senators from my state, for example, one is majority leader with a strong history of mediation and negotiation; one was involved in a torrid affair with an aids wife (I’ll bet he didn’t accomplish much work while on his romantic interludes). It is not clear what the Senate is going to do about this transgression. It would help if both bodies of congress dealt with these incidents promptly and sternly instead of letting the process drag on until the voting public has forgotten the details.
Congress is a disgrace ever since the Socialist party took over in 2006. I think of the graves of fallen Americans who died throughout our history defending our basic beliefs. These beliefs that must have a Free Market Capitalism in order to exist. The problem is not just the Congress it is the ideology of our current rulers in the executive, legislative and soon to be undermined judicial branches. If I were viewing our congress from a Soviet, or Chinese or even Cuban perspective I would give them top marks of “100%”. But from a traditional American perspective I give the members of congress with the socialist ideology and the dominant party “0%” or less. Because of their efforts we are toast. Just watch! They do not legislate they rule!
I think the rating is about 11 points too high. This congress is a total failure. There are too many self-serving idealogs that will sell the country out for their own gain. They care nothing about the constitution and bill of rights. They need to be removed from the congress all together.
I agree with Perry Slagle. How can we rate Congress when there is no place to do so????
Hmm, meditating to ensure the oil spill remains contained, is he? To minimize political damage from the high unemployment rate in the state? Hoping for a change of subject? Ommmmm. Ommmmm.
The plan for congress is working- get the majority of people to depend on the Government- ie food stamps-unemployment- govt jobs etc then all those will vote to keep those in office- in their positions- WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT WOULD WORK?
It is without a doubt, after talking to many americans and reading many polls, that our Congress needs some overseeing. These elected people must answer for the inadeqacies resulting from the job they are doing. We have become a society of people who complain alot but don’t have the incentive or ambition to get off their butts and fight for a change in our Congress. All around the United States we are seeing Tea Parties, but they lack the amount of participation and visibility needed to make a difference. What I see is a good but feeble stand. We the people need to wake-up and redirect our priorities. Instead of weekend barbeques and sitting on our butts around the pool, we need to organize into a voice and take that voice to the steps of Congress in force. How about a 5 million strong peaceful march to identify what, “We the people”, stands for! I would be there.
I believe that character and ethics count and it is pretty obvious that most of people in Congress have very little – they seem to be much more concerned about being re-elected, their public image and power then they do taking care of the Republic.
They only work part time, campaigning or taking fact finding junkets the rest of the time (while working in a vacation here and there).
It still is a thing of wonder as to why millions or at least hundred of thousands of dollars are paid out by the ‘party’ or individuals to secure a job that pays very little. What are the ‘hidden perks’? Does anyone REALLY know?
Term limits would be one answer and might also eliminate the astronomical costs of being re-elected. Making the members of Congress only eligible for the same health care, social security and other benefits as all other citizens might be a start. No golden retirement packages either! This is a job and pretty much part time at that (at present) not a lifetime appointment. They are supposed to work for us, but have begun to behave like the worst case persons of so called royalty.
Recently they have publicized the amount of $$ Congress has spent on just food and water………this would be laughable if it was not that many of our fellows can’t even find a job! They are spending money when there is none, There solution is to print more or borrow more! They have bankrupted every thing they ever touched. (exp; Amtrac, post office, social security, and the government itself, are just a few examples)
Posting ‘bills’ to be voted on – online ahead of time (and not just 72 hrs) so that people can read them and respond and also so that members of Congress/citizens can read/understand them would also help. Most of these folks don’;t even know what they are voting on – and how could they, when bills come out with a couple thousand pages, the night before a vote?
This does not just apply to one party or another it reaches across both aisles and to independents one and all. In the real world these people would either be fired or maybe locked up, or both? How many competant people never run for office because they are intimidated by the cost and not wishing to compromise their values?
People, we all need to make a stand here or we lose the Republic. What will you do?
Speaking of how much Congress has spent just on water and food alone here is an article which breaks down this spending:
http://www.aolnews.com/house-money/article/congress-food-tab-604-000-for-bottled-water-152-at-quiznos/19541719
Congress is one of three powers of government which is supposed to help balance the other two powers. The way all parties in Washington seem to be spending money, to include the executive branch having numerous lavish parties and taking many costly vacations at taxpayers’ expense, it would appear that the current attitude towards the average American citizen mirrors this saying by Marie Antoinette:
“Let them eat cake.”
While many scholars believe that this sentence was not something Marie Antoinette actually said it does reveal the overall disdain that the King and the aristocracy felt for the common citizen of France at that time. They were holding parties with elaborate foods and extravagant entertainments while the average French citizen was starving and had been taxed into a life which afforded them only a subsistence level of survival.
Hopefully this attitude will change in Washington at some future date when lawmakers realize once again they are here to serve the people, not go to Washington to take as much as they can from the people.
Anon, so would you say that it is equally important for us, Americans to let our voices be heard? Your comments really made me think that we all, including MOAA members must do our best to make our voices heard. Congress has lots of decisions ahead of them. We need to make sure they understand our military, veterans and family issues and concerns–if we don’t let our voices be heard, many will think everything is okay, when maybe that’s not the message we want to send. Thank you.
Yes, René, I feel it is very important that people contact those in Congress every time an important bill is up for a vote. Much of what has been passed in the current Congress is unconstitutional as it abrogates freedom and mandates a level of meddling into the private lives of both individuals and businesses which has been unprecedented in prior US history. Most of what has been passed as law seems to be a play for power and control alone. Has anyone else become uncomfortable with the numerous unelected Czars this current administration has appointed? These people have huge powers to change the very fabric of our society and do not answer to anyone except the person in charge of it all.
While it is important to contact those in Congress to express our views unfortunately I can say from personal experience that it is nearly impossible to contact the democratic Congressperson from my area when there is an important vote. I understand this inability to contact most democratic Congresspersons during important votes has been nearly universal as the majority party seemed, at least at the beginning of this Congress, to feel that they had a license to do whatever they wanted as far as making laws without even consulting the other party or revealing to them what was in those enormous unread bill they passed with their rubber stamp approval. Of course they had the encouragement of the White House to do so. Together they seem to have made a mockery of a free society since they appear to have decided not listen to those who elected them or engage the opinions of the opposition party when passing new laws.
There are a few good people in Congress, but it is hard to pick them out, know what they are doing and how they vote. More and more of my friends want to end the war a.s.a.p. and I am glad to see more in Congress feel the same way. Killing our young men does not make me feel secure.
It’s not difficult to keep track of how each person in Congress votes. Here is just one place voting records may be checked:
http://www.votesmart.org/official_five_categories.php?dist=voting_category.php
The reasons for military conflicts are many and national security is one of them. No one wants any of our military members to be in the line of fire, but sometimes to ensure freedom some men and women may make the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. Every day I am grateful for the bravery of the few who have elected selflessly to protect all of us in this way. I would like to honor their sacrifice, not diminish it as unnecessary.
Thanks for the link. You are right, keeping track of how members of Congress vote can be challenging–just as challenging as tracking the various bills they offer. I share your gratefulness for the bravery and sacrifices of all that serve and have served–let us also never forget their families. Rene’
I give Congress a zero. I’m personally going to work in the campaign of the local Republican congressional candidate to do my part to get rid of the Demoncratic Socialists who are trying to take health care away from our disabled child.
I urge everyone else to consider working for or giving money to Republican candidates for Senate and Congress. Those of us who have Tricare will be affected by the huge Medicare cuts that are coming. Tricare doctor payments are linked to the woefully inadequate Medicare payments to doctors.
I feel like the government has broken its promise to my husband to provide lifetime health care at reasonable rates. Almost no doctor in our town will take Tricare. Eye care has been cancelled, even for our seriously visually impaired daughter, who will go blind if she doesn’t receive proper eye care. Tricare is threatening to stop covering one of my routine medications, for which there is no substitute, even though the people at Tricare are lying to me and saying there is. I’m a pharmacist, so I don’t believe their lies.
What is happening to health care is a mere drop in the bucket compared to the plans this government appears to hold to control the life and liberty of the American people. What is occurring goes way beyond democratic/republican/socialism issues to a powerful government which has the potential to become like those in totalitarian countries. Pay attention to how changes are being made by executive order alone. Read carefully, become knowledgeable about the Constitution and factual American history, not the history being written by those who seek to revise history to suit their political agenda. Find out what is really happening in public schools to hide the history of America and its peoples. Then become aware of what is really going on in many areas of government to gain control of American lives in every detail. Find out more about who surrounds those in power and what their true political goals are. Follow the money trail to see where it leads. Most of all question, keep questioning.
One of my heros is John Adams. I would have to think he would be horrified by all the career politicians we have. Some have been in 20, 30 and more years. It should NOT be a career path.
I would like to vote all career politicians out and probably even better, vote everyone out and start over. It will be the only message they understand that they work for us.
I am sure John Adams would be more than horrified by what is going on in government these days. Most politicians seem unconcerned about all the spending which is taking place in this government in both the congressional and executive branches. I would like to know where some of that bailout money is really disappearing. Hopefully if the American people have the will to rid themselves of corrupt politicians this will be fully investigated and somehow righted by future legislation, maybe even before the entire country is bankrupt. Meanwhile here is more about those whose spending appears way out of control. In these hard economic times, when some people I know are selling belongings at a great loss on eBay to have enough money to eat, insensitive beyond belief. Marie Antoinette enters the picture once again:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2010/08/04/2010-08-04_material_girl_michelle_obama_is_a_modernday_marie_antoinette_on_a_glitzy_spanish.html