The Congress Christmas Song: Oh, You’d Better Watch Out….

When I look at the behavior of Congress during this last year — failure to pass the American Jobs Bill, now failure of the Super Committee to arrive at much-needed cuts in the federal budget — voters should take a lesson from Ole’ Saint Nick as he prepares his sleigh with presents to be delivered for Christmas. Members of Congress certainly have not been “good for goodness sake.”

Christmas is coming for every member of Congress on November 2, 2012. So to each of them, “You’d better watch out, because voters are going to the polls.” It is just unfortunate that their Christmas does not come in December as well.

But, come November, voters will do well to remember whether their congress person was sleeping or awake when it came to acting on or passing some of the most important pieces of legislation that would have improved the plight of Americans and the long-term well being of America.

If they haven’t already, voters truly need to assess whether Congress has been “good or bad” as they have carried out the people’s business. Each voter should be “making a list, right now, and “checking it twice” to find out who has been “naughty or nice.” Check the record. Time, and time again, members of Congress have chosen to be “naughty” rather than “nice.”

But this “tongue and cheek” analysis aside, you get the point.

Why should we reward some members of this Congress with another term in office just so they can simply continue too not represent the people who put them there?

During these tough economic times, the people have made it clear, time, and time again, that they want Congress to get our fiscal house in order by reducing the deficit and our long-term debt with a combination of spending cuts and increases in taxes for those who can afford it most. Yet, this Congress continues to ignore that directive by failing to come up with reductions in spending and needed changes in the tax code.

Many Americans are hurting because of high and sustained unemployment rates. Many have lost their homes, exhausted their savings, and live a day-to-day existence because of it. President Obama developed and proposed the American Jobs Bill that had measures that were bi-partisan (many proposed by previous Republican administrations) and consistent with the goals of not increasing the deficit or long-term debt. But, Congress continues in its adamant way of not even seriously considering it, even though polls consistently show that the American people support the passing of the Jobs bill.

Every serious voter has to be asking him or herself, what is causing such intransience, such vitriol, such determination, such refusal to do those things that could make things better for the American people, and thus, America.

Is it just plain old partisan politics? Is it deep subliminal and blatant racism because America has a black president and they want him to fail? Is it greed at the corporate and individual level, where the rich want to protect their wealth at all costs? Or, is it some combination of the above?

Irrespective of the reasons, each member of the public has one great present in his or her bag when Christmas rolls around for each Congressman next November — a vote. While the majority of the public may not be individually wealthy or powerful, there is a kind of power in numbers than can be more effective than money.

Americans need to determine whether they are going to reward these members of Congress for their behavior. Kids understand the concept when it comes to anticipating and wishing for presents during Christmastime. Certainly, the “adults” in Congress understand the same concept of reward and punishment during election time.

We all will have a chance to become Santa in November of 2012. Are you making a list? And, when you take a cursory review of the behavior of many, is there even a need to check it twice?

Per chance, if there is a behavior change as the November 2012 election approaches, shame on us if we forget that we have suffered needlessly, months on end, because of the performance of a Congress that persists in acting inept and being controlled by self-interest.

Christmas is coming for Congress. Unfortunately, it is not soon enough.