When rainy days just get you down and the wonder of TV is your only escape from boredom, try Senate hearings to really sink you down further.
I like to keep up somewhat with my government and do so by watching different Senate hearings (mostly on rainy days), whether it be health reform, Supreme Court justice appointee hearings and or one of many others.
One thing that I constantly see in both parties is the same old, old senators who are usually grouchy and half asleep and seem to think that they are the only ones right and everybody else is wrong.
I have to wonder why term limits is not acted upon to usher these real old, old senators into a full-time emersion of prune juice, bran and oatmeal, and an extended tour of Sunny Dale.
You see, I cannot ever believe that Senator Robert Byrd at 91 or 92 and first elected in 1958 is competent enough to fully represent the state of West Virginia.
Sure, he is probably well liked and also really ill, and naturally we all sympathize with that. But a tough job is involved in these perilous times.
Do voters dwell in the past? Are these elections a popularity contest? Is the Senate, as many say, a very prestigious exclusive club? Could it be that there is a big disconnect between performance and re-election? Voters seem to let this happen themselves.
There are several senators in their 80s and upper 70s. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who is 79, just recently switched parties from Republican to Democrat only with the inclination that he would be beat as a Republican. So maybe he switched to stay in the Senate. Is this thinking of your country or party or yourself?
Of the 100 senators, only nine are in their 40s. You have to be 30 to run for the U.S. Senate, but there are none in this age category.
When I see senators Shelby of Alabama and Orrin Hatch of Utah, I immediately think of a Dr. Seuss favorite, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." Both come off as know-it-alls and very grouchy with little personality.
Shelby never had any kind words for auto workers, as if they were his personal problem. So out of touch!
Some senators think that they should never be replaced or can be replaced. Incumbents seem to know that there are good chances that they will be re-elected regardless of their performance. Usually this is true more than 90 percent of the time.
Was being a politician really supposed to be a career move? I always like to see new blood. I am for seniors staying fit and enjoying their livelihood and careers, but also know when to hang it up.
I am certainly not against seniors achieving their dreams as lawmakers, but really, in their high 70s and 80s ... and 90s!
Senators and also congressmen seem to never want to give it up even if they are ill. I think Sen. Ted Kennedy is an example of that.
Government has to be demanding. One part of our history on elections was formation of term limits for the president as Franklin Roosevelt, who ran for his fourth term as president, died suddenly just a few months after the election.
Presidents, as we all know, are only allowed two four-year terms. A U.S. senator's term is six years and as many more years as they can pursue.
I know that term limits has been up for vote before for U.S. senators and congressmen but are always turned down. Most states, however, do have term limits in their legislatures.
The Senate itself reminds me of a bunch of kids, eager to squabble over nothing while playing king-of-the-mountain games, trying to prove who or which party is right. Country seems to always come in second.
Both parties seem to be at a constant war agreeing to disagree. Non-partisan is a word more than action. They seem to hate each other. The longer they are in office, the worse this gets. This, of course, is just my opinion.
Now, I know I have been a little rough on our elected U.S. senators. Maybe it's because rainy days always get me down.