TheWeekInCongress

TheWeekInCongress.com

TheWeekInCongress.com is a product of Legislation News & Report

Publisher and Content Manager: Robert H. McElroy

Brilliant Computer Expert: Reed Damson--Contact: reeddamson AT comcast.net

Website Design by KeepItSimple.

{Special thanks to Glenn O. White for advice and support}

TheWeekInCongress.com is published weekly when one or both houses of Congress are in session and consider legislation on the floor. The Website is usually updated on Fridays but can also be updated earlier or later depending on Congress' schedule.

THE PURPOSE OF THEWEEKINCONGRESS.COM

Most honest observers of national politics would agree that virulence between candidates and between supporters and opponents of those candidates has reached levels not seen in recent decades. Americans are profoundly opinionated people but it appears that talking or arguing about issues with friends and family is often where the opinion begins and ends. Such behavior makes democracy a spectator sport when, in fact, the founders of this country produced a government designed to be participatory. Many Americans vote for a Senator or Representative and that is where participation begins and ends.

With the advent of the internet and e-mail, letting your Senators or Representative know where you stand on an issue is as simple as a 'click' of the mouse. Understanding what Congress does so that an educated opinion can be reached, however, remains a problem.

Many bills are interpreted and explained in ways that meet political rhetoric needs and sorting through bills that are hundreds of pages long and written in "legislativese" is beyond the scope and available time of most voters. Such research and response is not, however, beyond the scope of businesses; foreign countries, religious, political, labor, environmental and many other groups and organizations who do contact Congress, daily, with what bills they want passed, changed or defeated. Unless you participate, your opinion is not in the mix of opinions that Members of Congress look to when preparing to vote on a bill.

Spending an hour or less each week on TheWeekInCongress.com Website will give you the knowledge you need to express your satisfaction or discontent with active legislation and the opportunity to send your opinion to Washington. It is rare that Members of Congress do not respond.

TheWeekInCongress.com does not offer the opportunity on the website to comment on legislation or politics. While that seems to be a popular option on websites, perhaps necessary for the coveted high traffic, the opportunity is not provided because your opinion on legislation would be lost. The only place your opinion counts is with your elected official, so, the goal is simple; read the bill report, contact your elected official with you opinion, pro or con.

Visitors to this site are urged to participate. Read through the bills over a few weeks and, in favor of a bill or otherwise, use the link to your Senator or Representative and 'tell them what you think". Get involved but 'know what you are talking about.'

ABOUT THEWEEKINCONGRESS.COM

Legislation News & Report produces TheWeekInCongress.com and intends to keep it without advertising and free to readers.

Readers find more than just readable, non-partisan explanations of bill content, costs, amendments and votes:

The Monthly Budget Review keeps you informed of revenues and spending as well as the current status of the budget deficit,
Newest Public Laws tells you what bills have been signed into law, indexed by topic and State, with links to the bill report describing the new law,
Presidential Decisions related to congressional efforts,
Archives of past editions,
Links to contact your elected officials with your informed opinion,
External links to more data, newspapers we use to keep informed of the impact of new laws and many other features to help you participate knowledgably in the democracy.

THE OPINION/EDITORIAL PAGE

In January 2007 we added an editorial page at the request of readers. The guest op-eds are opinion and those of the writer, not necessarily the Website. The Editorials and Publisher's Letters are opinion. The Publisher of TheWeekInCongress.com has read and summarized all legislation from both political parties over the past six years. The editorials and publisher letters reflect his observations. It would be impossible to editorialize on legislation, pro or con, without then being tagged as a Republican or a Democrat. There appears to be no classification option, among those who like to classify writers, as common sense or simply opinion without partisan bias. The closest we get to that is Independent or middle of the political spectrum and that, too, is only in the perspective of which party ideology from which it is morphing to the middle.

It is the Publisher's opinion that neither party, when in power, produces consistently perfect legislation. Neither succeeds in producing legislation devoid of ideologies or political platform stance. Neither party has avoided legislation that is devoid of special interest provisions whether or not those provisions were in the interest of the general public or narrowly designed to benefit only the commerical interests that support them.

Conclude what you wish about our editorials. They are intended to educate through passing on knowledge of legislation or the legislative process, to point out inequities, duplicity, and other anomalies that stand out to us. Several editorials and publisher letters take a issue with or make reference to legislative matters from the Republican reign over Capitol Hill. While some readers think that represents TWIC's political position, it only represents a reflection of what that party did when in power and how it worked out for the country.

Who reads TheWeekInCongress.com?

Now in it's sixth year TheWeekInCongress.com has developed an eclectic group of readers worldwide.

The website is read by Americans and others in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

TheWeekInCongress.com is read by:

Senate staff who want to keep up on the House and House staff who want to keep up on the Senate
Newspaper editors in the U.S. and elsewhere
College students
News writers and bloggers,
Ministers and reverends,
Former marines, other military and veterans interested in keeping up on legislation of particular interest to them,
And equally as important, Americans of all ages and walks of life who want information without partisan bias.

TheWeekInCongress.com

"Know what you are talking about."