Congressional oversight has been an implied constitutional power of the Congress since the founding of the United States.  It is the duty of the Congress to monitor the performance of all of the many federal agencies to assure that these departments of the executive branch of government operate within the constitutional guidelines and that these departments are free of fraud, waste, and abuse of power.

 

During the first six (6) years of the George W. Bush administration, the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government ran with no congressional oversight.  The Republican majority (and many Democrats) in both houses of Congress simply “rubber stamped” anything passed to the Congress by the administration for congressional consideration .  The Congress also looked the other way when the administration acted on its own.  The results of  the actions of the administration coupled with the lack of oversight by the Congress will be with us for years to come.

 

We are left with a government (Executive and Legislative Branches) that is inept, corrupt and seemingly incapable of  handling anything.  When we look in the rearview mirror, we see mistakes and scandal.  Here are just a few.

 

- A war against terror fought magnificently  by our military and mismanaged horribly by the the civilians running the country.  Think about the inability to provide our troops with needed body armor and protection against IEDs.  Think about the shoddy care given to returning wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Hospital.   Think about the Department of Defense which at the moment is years behind on hundreds of projects and is over budget by almost $300 billion.

 

- FEMA.  The poster child for the incompetence of the U.S. Government.  An agency headed by political cronies that should be behind bars for criminal incompetence.  It will take years for Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi  to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

 

- Open borders.  While both branches of government warn of the terror threat and various domestic problems, the government does not have the political will to take control of our borders and all points of entry into the United States.   I fear that this will eventually  lead to a new terrorist attack that will be far more disastrous  than 911.

 

- The Abramoff years.  We have a government controlled by and for the corporations, special interests and foreign countries.  The lobbyists have bought the government.  You and I are necessary only to pay the taxes needed to provide for the needs of the special interest groups that now own the government.  

 

- Open trade agreements.  The middle class is being crushed by trade agreements that are destroying whole industries in the United States

 

- Dependance on foreign oil.  This may be the one that does us in.  While the Europeans, South Americans and Asians are moving to alternative sources of energy, the U.S. Government has actually blocked legislation that would provide research into alternative energy sources. This government lacks the will to lead the alternative energy movement.  We are approaching $5.00 per gallon gasoline. This, combined with trade imbalances, the housing bubble and the highest public debt in our nation’s history (much of it held by countries that do not have our interests as a priority) may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.   We  face a far lower quality of  life for most Americans for years to come.  This government has put generations of Americans in debt and this will have a negative impact on the lives of our children and grandchildren as they struggle to pay higher taxes to draw  down the national debt.

 

Lack of congressional oversight has contributed to our current national crisis.  Take a few minutes to check out the websites below.  There is a lot of information on the internet regarding the absence of congressional oversight in recent years and the damage that has been done as a result.