Unfortunate Productivity

Doug Mataconis laments, at least implicitly, Congress’s lack of productivity in the last and present Congress. In my view a more significant problem is Congress’s unfortunate productivity in prior sessions rather than its present stalemate. Examples I would give of major legislation that has practically no defenders include

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)
The Iraq Resolution of 2002
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
Dodd-Frank

I’d throw in the “Bush tax cuts” (later, the “Obama tax cuts”) which did very little to help the economy and what it did was short-lived but I recognize that’s contentious. Please feel free to contribute your own examples of “unfortunate productivity”. The best candidates would be those that have very few present supporters rather than laws that are shibboleths for one side or the other.

3 comments… add one
  • Andy Link

    Yes, I have the same complaint. Quantity =/= quality.

  • Tom Lindmark Link

    I would suggest ObamaCare but the jury is still out and it would be a cheap shot anyway. How about DOMA. The list of those who voted for it and then cheered its demise is a who’s who of the Congressional elite not to mention the President who signed the bill.

  • jan Link

    The problem with so many of these bills is that while their intent oftentimes has merit, the process in which legislation is passed is full of partisan politics and earmarks. The latest is the immigration bill — one, like the ACA, is far too long, mired in legalize, and full of extraneous giveaways and/or special political incentives, having nothing to do with immigration, in order to gather enough Congressional votes. So, good legislation is actually diluted, or even held hostage, by skillfully attached bad legislation. It’s all such a farce….

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