Whilst I am trying to enjoy the holiday season and keep my stress levels down, I can't seem to turn on the news without hearing something of the latest nonsense happening during the lame duck session. Do people really know what that term means anyway? I mean, I had a general idea but the other day I just decided to see exactly what was happening.
The U.S. Senate website defines it for us:
"lame duck" session - When Congress (or either chamber) reconvenes in an even-numbered year following the November general elections to consider various items of business. Some lawmakers who return for this session will not be in the next Congress. Hence, they are informally called "lame duck" Members participating in a "lame duck" session.Yeah, so THAT is why there are crazy 2000 page bills that nobody has read pending the week before Christmas. Deja Vu. The people who have been making the mess still have the power, even though we voted them out. What a strange system...shouldn't they have packed up the day after? So pretty much nobody is listening to the American people at all and there is zero accountability for behaving badly.
We put our votes out in November. We fill out the polls, we put stickers on our cars and signs in the yard, we knock doors, we participate in phone banks, we "like" things on Facebook to make our opinions known all year long and really we just want to chill out and bake (and/or eat) some cookies with our families about right now (if we've finished our Christmas preparations.) I always find Congress extra annoying in December. Guess I should go have another cookie...
