[Benchwarmer]

Be glad to. For the past two years, Democrats in Congress have given Obama a blank check while refusing to provide proper oversight of the Executive Branch of our government.

When one party controls the House, Senate, and White House, things are always easier for the occupant of the 1600 Pennsylvania but the most recent Congress was easily the most irresponsible in that regard of any in my lifetime. Because the Republican Party includes many legitimate fiscal conservatives (and many more who falsely claim that label), Republican Congresses tend to provide some oversight even when they control the White House.

However, the toughest questions are always posed to the President and his staff when another party controls the committee gavels in one or both houses of Congress. Public hearings under these circumstances produce sound bites that even the mainstream media cannot resist airing.

Even in the absence of contentious public hearings, the last Congress managed to post the lowest approval ratings since polls have been taken.

Republican Darrell Issa of California will quickly become one of the Obama administration's favorite villains and he even has a chance to displace Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh at the top of Obama's enemies list. Issa has subpoena power and he is eager to use it.

So, the bottom line is that the past Congress failed to provide proper oversight of federal agencies and the House of Representatives faces a target rich environment. The national debt is climbing at an unprecedented rate and something must be done to reverse the momentum. The House controls the federal government's purse strings but it also has the responsibility to ensure that agencies enforce laws and do not make their own laws. Those two tools will be extremely powerful if Republican representatives do not go wobbly on us.

The EPA's plan to regulate CO2 emissions as a pollutant will be among the first abuses of power to be daylighted and I, for one, cannot wait for the fun to begin.

:Thumbs:
If they are after the coal industry why are they not after the car industry? Or, is that a stupid question.