What makes a terrible congressman?
I'm a registered Dem, but I'd like to think this is a bi-partisan issue. What makes a Congressman so bad that you'd consider crossing party lines just to get them out of office?
I've spoken before about Leonard Boswell, my slimy US Rep, who I helped get re-elected in 2004. Make no mistake, he's slimy, his views are wildly different from mine, he's a Democrat in name only, etc. That's not my particular problem with him. At least not this time.
Leonard Boswell is old. As I mentioned in my previous post about him, when staff members and I met him months ago, we were surprised he was still with it...we've heard rumors to the contrary. I realize Congressmen have staff to properly consult their corporate donors and whatnot, but nonetheless, I'd like to believe my Congressman is lucid enough to make his own decisions.
Things took a turn for the worse this week for Boswell, however. On Tuesday, Boswell had surgery to remove an abdominal mass. That by itself isn't a big deal. In fact, I'm less than a third of Boswell's age and I've had two surgeries to remove abdominal masses. The big deal is Boswell's scheduled hospital time, which spokesman Eric Witte said "will probably be a few weeks."
That's a problem for me. You see, the House is in session right now. Here's some of the things they voted on this week:
Head Start — Approved, 231-184, a bill that would reauthorize Head Start, an early-childhood program, and allow faith-based charities operating local programs to hire staff based on their religious preference.
Hurricane relief — Approved, 384-24, authorization of more than $2 billion over three years for programs in manufacturing research and development, and help for small businesses affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Both bills have interesting subplots, but the first one scares me a bit. Head Start is a critical program for low-income families, and no parent should have to make the decision between holding their children back from education and exposing their children to religious education.
Boswell missed both votes, and others. He'll presumably miss several more as he recovers from surgery. But this is the line that really sickens me.
Boswell said nothing in his health will prevent him from running again and he fully intends to do so. "I have every expectation of continuing to represent Iowa for years to come," he said.
Yes, Representative Boswell, your health is preventing you from doing your job, and seeing as you're already 71, your health will presumably continue to prevent you from doing your job. In fact, you're missing work right now. But it's good to know that your inability to do your job won't prevent you from running for re-election so you can be incompetent, inconscient or just absent for another two years.
As always, click the ads at the top to support Fallon for Governor. Also, if you'd like to co-sign a letter asking Rep. Boswell to retire, add your name to the comments.
Finally, here's a cool quiz:
| You are a Social Liberal (75% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (25% permissive) You are best described as a:
Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating |
KL
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