“That’s it. I’m running for Congress. Where else can an adult accomplish so little and get paid so well?”

“Ah, yes, you speak of a recent report in the Wall Street Journal. According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, the 110th Congress has passed fewer public laws — 294 — than any session of Congress in 20 years.”

“What the heck has the Congress been doing?”

“Passing lots of decrees and resolutions — public pronouncements that mostly don’t mean much. So far, the 110th Congress has passed more than 1,900 of those.”

“What kind of resolutions?”

“Take Senate Resolution 440. It recognizes soil as an essential natural resource. It also praises soil professionals for playing a critical role in managing our nation’s natural resources.”

“That’s fair enough. America’s dirt has been underrated for years.”

“Then there is Senate Resolution 262. It designated July 2007 as National Watermelon Month.”

“If our Congress is going to praise dirt, it ought to praise the stuff that grows in it.”

“That brings us to Senate Resolution 180. It recognized the 70th anniversary of the Idaho Potato Commission. It also designated May 2007 as Idaho Potato Month.”

“If Congress is going to praise watermelon, why not the potato? You can’t make fries out of watermelons. Surely the Democrat Congress passed the key spending bills that keep our government running.”

“You refer to the 13 separate appropriation bills that Congress must pass and the president must sign to fund all the departments and activities of the federal government. Our Congress didn’t pass even ONE of the 2009 appropriation bills — even though that is one of its primary responsibilities.”

“How will the Democrats running Congress fund the government then?”

“They’ll likely wait until the last minute, then combine all 13 spending bills into one massive bill — what they call an omnibus bill. Politicians love omnibus bills because they can sneak in all kinds of goodies before anybody notices.”

“Surely the Democrats running Congress passed important legislation of some kind.”