I just read this article in the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/05/AR2006120501342.html

Here's the gist of it -- Steny Hoyer (D-Md), the incoming House Majority Leader, has announced the new schedule for the 110th Congress which begins on January 4, 2007.  And it's longer than the Congressional House year in 2006.

Meaning this -- "... members of the House will be expected in the Capitol for votes each week by 6:30 p.m. Monday and will finish their business about 2 p.m. Friday." That's a five-day work week.

Which is substantially longer than this year -- where the Legislative week began late on Tuesday and ran until late Thursday afternoon. Minus, of course, the vacation days.

Also per the article: "By the time the gavel comes down on the 109th Congress on Friday, members will have worked a total of 103 days. That's seven days fewer than the infamous 'Do-Nothing Congress' of 1948."

Let's say that I'm an employee who works 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year. That's 260 days. Let's be liberal and throw in twenty (twenty!) paid holidays. That's almost a month. And let's even put in two months (9 weeks) of paid vacation. That's 45 more days. That comes to 195 work days during the year.  I certainly don't have nearly that amount of time off at my current job.  But it still amounts to a lot more work time that the 103 days that this year's Congress was in session. That's slightly less than 2 days per week for a 52-week year.

And now the schedule's going to change -- longer hours at work. Probably closer to 195 days at work, but probably not even that. They're used to getting a month off in August, two weeks in April, and weeks off in February, March and July.

I understand that this will be tough for those who are representing the west coast. Especially those from Alaska and Hawaii whose time at home will be curtailed substantially. But keep in mind that these members of Congress are being paid a minimum salary of $165,200 yearly. Plus benefits. They've been elected to do an extremely noble job by their peers. I'm sure they'll make this work.

(Then again -- I'm keeping in mind that Steny Hoyer's home district is within driving distance of the Capitol.)

Best quote of the article: "'Keeping us up here eats away at families," said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), who typically flies home on Thursdays and returns to Washington on Tuesdays. 'Marriages suffer. The Democrats could care less about families -- that's what this says.'"

Yup. Tell that to the single and double-earner families who have to work countless more hours than you do just to put food on the table, Jack...

... It's about time!  I don't know very many people who were impressed by him. A lot of us thought he was a talentless waste...



(Thanks to those of you who have added me and voted for my first entry.)

There are many folks on Mindsay who have multiple blogs for whatever reason.  I'm one of them.

But, for the record, I am not shiny.

Some of you may automatically assume that this is a joke of some sort. A clever display of wit. And, thus, you might actually associate this with Shiny because it's the type of thing he would do.

However, what's occurring here simply isn't funny at all.  Nor is it clever.  While Shiny is funny and clever, I am not. Therefore, I am not shiny.  It's only one of many differences between Shiny and myself.

For example -- musical differences.  I believe that the best Huey Lewis and the News song is "Heart of Rock n'Roll."  While Shiny believes it to be "Hip to Be Square."  It's a world of contrast.

Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like.