Admittedly, since leaving DC after living and working there for a dozen years, I've been really slow to re-engage in any interest in politics/government. The interest is still there, but the burn out and frustration were so pronounced that I've had almost no interest in paying attention to what's been happening. DC breeds cynicism, and I haven't yet lost that.
This stat didn't help: Since they started keeping track 65 years ago, 2011 was the least productive session of Congress. Only 80 bills were passed, most of those being the fun time-fillers of naming post offices and the like.
From the Wash Times story:
Of the bills the 112th Congress did pass, the majority were housekeeping measures, such as naming post office buildings or extending existing laws. Sometimes, it was too difficult for the two chambers to hammer out agreements. More often, the Senate failed to reach agreement within the chamber.
That left much of the machinery of the federal government on autopilot, with the exception of spending, where monumental clashes dominated the legislative session.
Honestly, given the every-second need for new news, and the need for politicians and pollsters to be constantly testing their talking points, I don't see how the current state of government changes moving forward. If anything, it's going to get worse.
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