Fantasy Congress

I recently read an article about Congress. Here’s the depressing part:

"Of the 449 bills that became law in the 110th Congress, 144 of them — 32 percent — did nothing more than rename a federal building. In comparison, the 109th Congress passed 121 ceremonial bills, about 25 percent of the 483 bills that became law. The 104th Congress — the first time in 40 years that Republicans held a majority in the House — passed 337 bills, and only 35 were ceremonial naming bills, or just over 10 percent. No Congress since 1975 has introduced fewer pieces of legislation than the 7,991 bills and resolutions offered in the 104th Congress."

Okay, so that’s pretty ridiculous. At least they can agree on names of buildings. It’s not exactly health care or education reform. The article also had information about individual Congressmen and women’s bill statistics.

"Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) introduced 67 bills during the 110th Congress, including a bill “to prevent the president from encroaching upon the Congressional prerogative to make laws” by eliminating signing statements that allow the White House to interpret legislative intent. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) introduced 70 bills, including a bill “to end membership of the United States in the United Nations.” Neither bill became law or even received a vote in committee.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) introduced 88 bills, more than any other Member of the House in the 110th Congress though some bills were introduced several times as different versions. On Jan. 29, Maloney introduced seven bills to limit tariffs on individual chemicals, none of which became law. Two bills that Maloney sponsored have become laws since January 2007, but several others were incorporated into other legislation that became law.

"In the Senate, each Member tends to sponsor more bills, befitting their larger constituencies. In the 110th Congress, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) introduced more legislation than anyone else — 163 bills — despite spending much of the session campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination."

Sorry that was a long quote. But it gave me an idea, and as Rule 34 of the Internet states, “If you can imagine it, it exists online.” Rule 35 is, “If it does not exist, you are obligated to create it.” So here’s my idea. Fantasy Congress. Each fantasy player would select a team of Congress people, both senators and members of the House of Representatives. The stats would be about bills introduced, with more points if the bill gets out of committee, or is openly debated, and even more if it passes into law. Points off if the President vetoes it. Points off if it is rejected or voted down. Should points still be awarded if the bill is a new version of another bill, or is that a reduction, or nothing? What about if it is one of the bills that merely renames buildings? Someone with better programming knowledge needs to make this happen. In addition to being yet another fantasy league for people to obsess over, it'd be a great way to evaluate Congress. Information like this seems to me an important way to influence voting. It's not what they say, it's what they do in office. If all they're doing in office is renaming buildings, then it seems to me that different people need to be given the chance to make something happen, regardless of whether they're Democrat, Republican, or a third party.

These are the things I think of in my spare time. Maybe I should be reading, or studying for the GRE, or planning a club, writing a grant. But no, I think about Fantasy Congress.