Like the nuclear family of old, Congress delegates roles and assignments.
While they all assist in creating garbage, some are assigned the task of seeing to it that it reaches the curb.
While they all feed from the dishes (some appear to doing more feeding than others), some are assigned the task of keeping the dishes clean in case company stops by.
Mom and dad assign these roles in the family context.
In Congress, these roles are assigned depending on which party controls Congress; the many congressional committees represent the family member who’s task it is to take out the garbage and clean the dishes.
Since taking over majority control of Congress in 2006, Democrats have been in control of Congress, and thus, in control of the many committees of Congress.
Since taking over majority control of Congress 2006, Democrats have been in control of taking out the garbage and keeping the dishes clean.
“Committees are an essential part of the legislative process. Senate committees monitor on-going governmental operations, identify issues suitable for legislative review, gather and evaluate information, and recommend courses of action to the Senate.”
In other words, Congressional committees are the watchdogs of government and the private sector, ensuring that everything works as it should.
Someone’s allowance ought to be taken away.
While American slipped into a banking and mortgage crisis, which precipitated the great recession, Democrats sat on the couch playing Wii instead of taking out the garbage and cleaning the dishes.
The U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs has jurisdiction over matters related to banks and banking, as well as matters concerning public and private housing.
Heading the Democrat- majority Senate Banking Committee has been Connecticut Democrat Chris Dodd.
This from Dodd’s Senate web page:
“ As Chairman, Senator Dodd sets the committee’s agenda; guiding the consideration of legislation under committee jurisdiction. A 29-year member of this Committee, Sen. Dodd has made his first year as Chairman about protecting consumers and their investments, ensuring that investment in our nation is monitored and that ultimately, Americans benefit from it, and keeping our economy on sound footing.”
No allowance for Chris. Fortunately, in 2010 Dodd announced he will run away from home so another sibling will be assigned his position in the next Congress.
In the House, there’s another committee that is supposed to oversee the financial services industry, which includes the banking and housing industry.
That committee is the House Committee on Financial Services (this sounds really funny when said with a lisp), or the House Banking Committee.
Dodd’s fellow New Englander, Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, leads the majority Democrat membership of this committee.
No allowance for Ba’ney.
Then there is the Senate and House Natural Resources Committees.
In the Senate, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, this Democrat controlled committee is led by New Mexico Democrat, Jeff Bingaman.
Bingaman and his Democrat buddies are assigned the task of regulating many activities that deal with our good earth, among these are mining and oil and gas drilling regulation.
The Democrat controlled House Natural Resources Committee is headed by Democrat Nick Rahall, II, of West Virginia.
Can you say Upper Big Branch Mine, 2010; the country’s worst mine disaster in 40 years?
Can you say Deep Horizon Oil Rig Explosion, 2010; the country’s worst oil spill ever?
No allowance for Jeff and Nick.
Then there is the Interior Department and its little bastard son, the Minerals Management Service. These guys are responsible for protecting our natural resources and watching over everything that affects our natural resources, like mining and oil drilling. This is government down to its finite parts, below the constitutional committees and overseen by them.
Former Colorado Democrat Kenny Salazar was appointed by obama to lead this group in December of 2008.
Passing the buck, Kenny has just ordered that the MMS be broken up into 3 separate divisions…ah, room for 3 more Democrats to “lead.”
No allowance for Kenny.
If your little Johnny forgot to take out the garbage, but then rolls out the cans as the truck rolls on down the street, do you pat him on the head and reward him?
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