Do-Nothing Congress

July 31, 1998 Three months from now voters will go to the polls and elect the 106th Congress. How the election turns out will depend in part on the behavior of the current 105th Congress which President Clinton plans to call the "do nothing Congress."

Unless something changes quickly, this Congress may well earn the name. Months ago the Congressional leadership set itself on a path to do mostly routine business for the rest of the summer and get out early. This "Lazy Days of Summer" approach was adopted for two reasons. First, the economy was good and people were relatively happy. Second, Kenneth Starr's investigation seemed like it was going to make Bill Clinton the political issue of 1998.

This strategy appears to be backfiring. The economy is beginning to slow, and by November voters might not be ready to "let the good times roll." And various court delays and White House stalls look like they will push the release of the Kenneth Starr's investigation past November.

So what should Congress do? My answer is, govern. There are key issues that Congress should address, and why wait until after November to address them? The short list would include activist judges who are changing the Constitution, Social Security reform that desperately needs to take place, or nuclear proliferation and the Clinton foreign policy. Add to that the perennial issues of moral decline and the breakdown of the family. Yet the Congressional leadership seems almost unwilling to engage these or other issues. Now is the time for Congress to prevent being called a "do nothing Congress." Get in there and fight for the issues or face the voters in November.

I'm Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries, and that's my opinion.