Where’s Congress? -- As H.L. Mencken put it, “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”

And the American people are getting it so and not just because of the selfish, mendacious and not-well-informed president.

Congress, by and large, has been given up its function for one reason and one reason only.

While many members of the House and Senate express their love and admiration for Donald Trump more than they do for their spouses, much of that emotion is predicated not necessarily on authentic feelings, but simply because these people are afraid of losing their jobs if they aren’t sufficiently deferential in a way that must give some of them at least a nanosecond of pause when the look in the mirror.

At the risk of going on too long, as I won’t be doing this 250 years from now, here, from the Constitution that these people swear to uphold, is Article 8, Section 1, which is a job description for members of Congress: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States; To establish Post Offices and post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court; To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;

—And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

So how are they doing?

Regulating commerce with foreign nations? Nope. The Trump tariffs are doing that.

How about dealing with things occurring on the high seas? Not that, either: Let’s not forget the alleged-but-not-proven-to-be drug boats being blown up. And that also goes to “make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water” were it that those people on board are captured.

Declare war? Not that, either.

There’s the rather prolix thing about exercising exclusive legislation regarding buildings the government owns, having it that Congress has authority over those places — you know, like the White House, the building that has had a wing demolished and plans that apparently include some sort of massive bunker (which, for those who claim to be Originalists, qualifies as a fort) that Congress has had nothing to do with.

All of which is to say if Democracy in America is to have a future, then the people need to elect those who will actually do their jobs. Otherwise, the American people will continue to get it good and hard. –Stephen Macaulay/Pundit-at-Large

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