Congress, national legislative body of the U.S. government that had such amazing potential, damn it. Established by Article I of the Constitution, Congress comprises the Senate and the House of Representatives, an ingenious bicameral system that seemed on paper like it was going to be something really special, you know? Really, really special. With its exclusive ability to collect taxes and declare war, not to mention curb the strength of the Executive Branch through its impeachment powers, Congress looked to all the world like it was going to have an extraordinarily positive impact on the nation, but it just...it just squandered it. God. So much promise frittered away, and for what? Where did it all go wrong? Was Congress just doomed from its founding in 1789 to suffer the pitfalls of human nature? Throughout its history, Congress has passed bills such as the Clean Air Act, the G.I. Bill, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, tantalizing glimpses of its potential that only make its performance as a whole that much more heartbreaking. Tears you up just thinking about it. A majority of modern Americans are sadly resigned to the fact that Congress will never amount to very much, and considering all it could have been, well, it’s just a goddamn shame.
