Congress recess Obamacare tax reform

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

One of the rallying cries among the media class this summer is that Congress should abandon its traditional August recess and work through the month.

Really?

Who thinks that is a good idea?

In 1866, Gideon J. Tucker penned the famous quote, “No man’s life, liberty or property is safe when the legislature is in session.” One-hundred-and-fifty-one years later, those words still ring true. What conservative really wants the legislature to stay in session?

What have the Republicans done for America this year?

The answer is very little.

The Republicans, to their credit, have repealed a number of Obama regulations thanks to the Congressional Review Act. But the time for repealing Obama administration regulations has expired. Beyond that, the GOP has done nothing.

This week, the Obamacare repeal effort died. There will not be repeal and replace. There won’t even be just a repeal.  For seven years, the Republicans promised America that if they were put into power again, they would repeal the hated Obamacare law. It appears some Republicans fear the insurance lobby more than they fear their constituents. 

So far, the Republicans have not repealed Obamacare. They have not built the wall, though they did appropriate a small amount to start the wall. They have not cut taxes and they have not cut spending. In fact, spending is going up, under the “Republican” Congress.

So why do conservatives want Congress to stay in session?

There simply is not a good reason for these elected officials to remain in D.C.  They should go home and meet with their constituents.  Many of them fear meetings, due to the way the radical left has taken over and disrupted their meetings.  That fear is legitimate as some members of Congress have been threatened or even assaulted. 

But it isn’t the radical left members of Congress and senators should fear. It is the conservative base that put them in office. 

Some Republicans who go to Washington are conservatives.  They tell their voters what they will do and then live up to it.  But far too many become corrupted by the swamp. Of course, that assumes they were even conservative to begin with.  They will deliver great speeches at home, decrying Obamacare, the debt, taxes and spending.  Yet when it is time to vote, they always manage to ensure that big government is never rolled back. They always ensure that their special interest friends get their projects funded.  They always ensure that there is no meaningful reform in the budget or that federal government shrinks. And if America is ever to have tax reform, we can all be sure it will only be after their favorite lobbyists have inserted special interest tax breaks for their clients.

All of this begs the question, why conservatives would want Congress to stay in session? Does anyone really believe a conservative agenda will be advanced with Congress in session for another 30 days?

The real problem here is not the August recess. The real problem is the Congress coming back in September. 

Congress, please take your August recess. And do the country a favor. Don’t hurry back.