The reason why Congress is inactive is sitting in your pocket |
I often complain that Congress has abdicated its duty to legislate and serve as the engine of our federal government. But what I want to write today is why. Why has this Congress been so willing to do nothing?
I have blamed the existence of independent agencies, certain Supreme Court precedents and overzealous executives for this problem.
To be sure, these are contributing factors that ought to be examined. However, there is a much more straightforward thing to blame for Congress’ decline: The rise of social media and direct communication with voters have destroyed the incentives for Congress to assert itself.
Our elected leaders are clearly not concerned with the prestige of their office, given that they are uninterested in reclaiming their rightful war powers, power to tax and other powers from the executive.
In my opinion, the key difference between the Congress of the past and the current........