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Congress being "dysfunctional" is just a way of saying Congress doesn't agree to do what you think it should. If the political will to do this isn't there (and

Congress being "dysfunctional" is just a way of saying Congress doesn't agree to do what you think it should. If the political will to do this isn't there (and it clearly isn't, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation) then it shouldn't be done.

AnimalMuppet 2y ago
No, it says more than that. The most fundamental duty of Congress is to pass the budget. Well, how are they doing at that? Lousy, that's how. Congress has been historically terrible at that the last few years. They can't even pass a budget. (No, the Nth continuing resolution for the next M months is not the same.) So "dysfunctional" means "can't function", not just "doesn't do what I want".
- lupusreal 2y ago
  Congress is only meant to pass budgets if they can agree on one. If they can't, then they aren't supposed to. Anyway, after a lot of bluffing and negotiation they inevitability get it done, the process you deride as dysfunction is simply politics. There's no rule that they must do it as fast or smoothly as you think they should. Calling Congress dysfunctional is just political rhetoric.
  - immibis 2y ago
    And if Congress doesn't pass a budget because it doesn't agree on one, the whole country is meant to grind to a halt. This is mutually assured destruction, guaranteeing that Congress will pass a budget.
    - lupusreal 2y ago
      > the whole country is meant to grind to a halt. That's flagrant hyperbole. > This is mutually assured destruction, That's even worse hyperbole. Anyway, yes, Congress inevitably does always manage to pass a budget. There are sometime delays, the consequence of which is exaggerated to put pressure on the other side to give up ground in the negotiations, but at the end of the day it's just politics and people carry on.
      - jandrese 2y ago
        > If they can't, then they aren't supposed to. > Anyway, yes, Congress inevitably does always manage to pass a budget. There are sometime delays, the consequence of which is exaggerated to put pressure on the other side to give up ground in the negotiations, but at the end of the day it's just politics and people carry on. These two stances don't mesh. But that misses the even bigger point. It takes Congress months of fighting back and forth on the budget every year. They barely accomplish anything else. Saying that they need to now write all of the federal regulations down to the tiniest detail (lest they spend all of their time in court doing nothing) is clearly unrealistic. Laughably so.

AnimalMuppet 2y ago

No, it says more than that. The most fundamental duty of Congress is to pass the budget. Well, how are they doing at that? Lousy, that's how. Congress has been historically terrible at that the last few years. They can't even pass a budget. (No, the Nth continuing resolution for the next M months is not the same.) So "dysfunctional" means "can't function", not just "doesn't do what I want".

lupusreal 2y ago
Congress is only meant to pass budgets if they can agree on one. If they can't, then they aren't supposed to. Anyway, after a lot of bluffing and negotiation they inevitability get it done, the process you deride as dysfunction is simply politics. There's no rule that they must do it as fast or smoothly as you think they should. Calling Congress dysfunctional is just political rhetoric.
- immibis 2y ago
  And if Congress doesn't pass a budget because it doesn't agree on one, the whole country is meant to grind to a halt. This is mutually assured destruction, guaranteeing that Congress will pass a budget.
  - lupusreal 2y ago
    > the whole country is meant to grind to a halt. That's flagrant hyperbole. > This is mutually assured destruction, That's even worse hyperbole. Anyway, yes, Congress inevitably does always manage to pass a budget. There are sometime delays, the consequence of which is exaggerated to put pressure on the other side to give up ground in the negotiations, but at the end of the day it's just politics and people carry on.
    - jandrese 2y ago
      > If they can't, then they aren't supposed to. > Anyway, yes, Congress inevitably does always manage to pass a budget. There are sometime delays, the consequence of which is exaggerated to put pressure on the other side to give up ground in the negotiations, but at the end of the day it's just politics and people carry on. These two stances don't mesh. But that misses the even bigger point. It takes Congress months of fighting back and forth on the budget every year. They barely accomplish anything else. Saying that they need to now write all of the federal regulations down to the tiniest detail (lest they spend all of their time in court doing nothing) is clearly unrealistic. Laughably so.