- LB 388 continues to raise questions about many issues (3/22/24)
- Solution to fast-food inflation as close as the kitchen (3/19/24)
- Protect our community: Vaccinate for measles (3/15/24)
- Better Internet access comes with hazards of its own (3/13/24)
- Don't become a victim of the lates online scams (3/4/24)
- Happy 157th birthday to Nebraska (3/1/24)
- State property taxes are a matter of perspective (2/23/24)
Editorial
Regaining respect will take Congress a long time
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Belittling Congress is nothing new.
"Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself." -- Mark Twain, a Biography
But the fact that a New York Times/CBS News poll shows that a record 82 percent of Americans now disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job, should not be cause for rejoicing by critics.
Instead, we should be sad that most citizens hold perhaps the most important branch in such low regard.
The Times has been asking the question only since 1977, but the recent results are even lower than 1995, when another political stalemate led to a government shutdown that year.
According to the survey, four out of five said the debt ceiling debate was more about gaining political advantage than about doing what is best for the country.
Almost 75 percent said the debate had harmed the image of the United States in the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, that distrust has resulted in the loss of trillions of dollars by stock market investors over the last few days.
The problem can be traced to voters who have looked the other way while their representatives, senators and presidents have allowed the country to run up such huge deficits.
Until a balanced federal budget is the norm instead of an aberration, respect for Washington will continue to be rare.