March 16, 2004

| It's Funny Because It's True >>

I posted this on a blog I maintain for work, but I’m kind of amused by it, so I’m reposting here:

Today’s story idea is resolutions. The House of Representatives seems to make a lot of them.

So far today, from what I can tell from the current floor summary, the House did this:

They met at 12:30 p.m., had 27 minutes of rollicking “Morning-Hour Debates” (whatever those are), then took a break. Then, they reconvened at 2 p.m., and spent the next 68 minutes debating resolutions. There’s one resolution thanking C-SPAN for 25 years of service. One resolution from the Senate permitting the use of the Capitol Building’s rotunda for next year’s Inauguration Ceremony. Another to rename a Kansas post office the Myron V. George Post Office. Yet another to honor the life and legacy of FDR, it being his 122nd birthday.

Then the House took another break, and they’re supposed to reconvene at 6:30, possibly to vote on yet more resolutions.

Tomorrow, according to CQ’s Midday Update, the House will consider a resolution to commend our soldiers in Iraq for the good job they’ve done and assert that the world is safer with Saddam Hussein’s regime deposed. (Note: CQ is owned by The Poynter Institute, which owns this website.)

Why all these resolutions? Is this a typical day? Given that there are 435 members of the House of Representatives, each of whom makes a not insubstantial yearly salary, how much does it cost taxpayers to have these folks spend an hour renaming post offices and singing “Happy Birthday” to FDR? How much effort do House staffers spend drawing up these resolutions?

A quick gander at Georgia’s list of recent House resolutions shows that state Congresses are probably the same story.