The Annual, Depressing 'Do Your Job Week' in Congress
Plus: The editors extend the discussion on the lack of immigration reform in this week’s bill.

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and Nick Gillespie discuss the depressing end-of-year omnibus government spending deal.
0:21: A massive year-end spending bill
20:10: The $858 billion National Defense Authorization Act
33:59: Notable legislative areas NOT being addressed this week
49:17: This week's cultural recommendations
Mentioned in this podcast:
"Biden Is Set To Sign $858 Billion Pentagon Budget—One of the Biggest Ever," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
"Here's Why Biden Is Wrong About the Deficit," by Veronique de Rugy
"November's $249 Billion Federal Budget Deficit Set a Record. Now, Congress Is Preparing To Spend Even More." by Eric Boehm
"Chuck Schumer Scrambles To Save the Marijuana Banking Bill He Blocked Last Year," by Jacob Sullum
"Rand Paul Goes Hawkish, Proposes Massive Defense Increases, Becomes Less Interesting," by Nick Gillespie
"Hot August Fright: The Month Republicans Lost Their Minds Over Immigration," by Matt Welch
"James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water Is a Can-You-Believe-It Spectacle That Looks to the Future," by Peter Suderman
"Bernie Sanders Abandons Plan To Force Vote on Yemen War," by Fiona Harrigan
Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.
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Audio production by Ian Keyser
Assistant production by Hunt Beaty
Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve
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Doing your job in Congress...isn't that supposed to be legislating, to the extent you actually write up whatever the law is supposed to be and then voting on it, and doing so publicly and then being held accountable by your constituents?
Not just passing multi trillion dollar spending on your favorite projects, and delegating everything else to an unelected and largely unaccountable bureaucracy.
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"lack of immigration reform"
Oh dear! Is your sugar daddy Charles Koch upset that Biden hasn't quite delivered 100% open borders like you wanted? Life is so unfair. 🙁
Look, we only just eliminated the ID requirements to vote in North Carolina. Now you want to eliminate them at the borders too? Gotta walk before we can crawl.
borders? not in Texas
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50% is the target. It's only open coming in.
This is an article by neocon warmongering, COVID lockdown-loving-jealous-of-Asia's-blind-trust-in-autocracy DNC hack Journalist on "autocrats having a bad year". It's full of insight, in-depth analysis, but somehow manages to get through an entire yawning article without once mentioning the biggest fascistic autocrat the Western Hemisphere has seen in the last 50 years.
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""Plus: The editors extend the discussion on the lack of immigration reform in this week’s bill.""
What's the purpose in reforming legislation when legislation is being ignored? Just more of something to ignore?
Every time you reform it, you set back the lawyers who seek to chase it down, like a rabbit zigzagging down a road to confuse the foxes chasing it/
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https://twitter.com/Lukewearechange/status/1604947562087055362?t=2wjAW1JsmHMTCEaFhrpatQ&s=19
The FBI used your tax dollars to orchestrate a disinformation campaign based on lies so that Biden would get elected!
[Link]
Hrmph... Shellenberger. He was so much better when he was pushing Soros-funded harm reduction policies. Now he's a Trumpian turncoat.
Rickowski can be a little nutty, but points out some interesting stuff
Mmmm…metaphors…
“The end-of-year omnibus government spending bill is like a giant puzzle with many pieces that need to be fit together in order to complete the overall picture. It’s also like a multifaceted jigsaw, with various departments, agencies, and programs all needing to be funded and supported in order to keep the government running smoothly.
Another metaphor for the omnibus spending bill might be a balancing act, with lawmakers trying to find the right mix of investments and cuts in order to meet the needs of the nation while staying within budget constraints. It’s also like a patchwork quilt, with different sections and provisions stitched together to create a cohesive whole.
Finally, the omnibus spending bill could be described as a tangled web of negotiations, with lawmakers and lobbyists all trying to advocate for their own priorities and secure funding for their pet projects. It’s also like a delicate dance, with politicians and bureaucrats trying to navigate the complex process of allocating resources in a way that benefits as many people and organizations as possible.”ChatGPT
What budget constraints?
Cleverly disguised spam?
ChatGPT, brought to you by the Hillary Clinton Campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris, with contributions from Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX/Alameda.
We would all be better off if Congress adjourned and never came back. I guess they need to authorize the budget once a year, but a moratorium on new laws would be a good start. Put it in place for, oh, 100 years to start, and then see if we need any new laws after that.
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Why didn’t they answer Dee’s question this time? Or did it just not get typed up?
"Hard to believe Obama reduced the deficit more than Trump"... BS!
Deficits
B=Bush, O=Obama, T=Trump, D=Democrat, R=Republican
(BDR) -$128B,$158B
(BRR) $378B,$413B
(BRR) $318B,$248B
(BDD) $161B,$459B
(ODD) $1.4T,$1.3T
(ODR) $1.3T,$1.1T
(ODR) $680B,$485B
(ORR) $442B,$585B
(TRR) $665B,$779B
(TRD) $984B,$3.1T
(BRD) $2.7T
As entirely demonstrated Democrats in House or Presidency NEVER demonstrated deficit deductions...
Pretending Obama astronomical SPENDING SPREE reduced by Republicans gives Obama credit over Trumps and Trumps/Republicans DEBT-REDUCTION being expanded by Democrats later is Exactly the same BS as what Biden is trying to sell now with his BS claim to Deficit Reduction.
It is completely flooring how Nazi-Minds can pretend a party of Spend, Spend, Spend, Spend is somehow a party of Save...... Cognitive dissonance remains the 100% character trait of leftards.
"Trumps/Republicans DEBT-REDUCTION"
What debt reduction are you referring to?
DEFICIT – As these figures are all deficits….. From (BRR) $378B,$413B(BRR) $318B, To $248B From (ODR) $1.3T,$1.1T (ODR) $680B, To $485B
Course SPENDING reduction also occurred.https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-budget-cuts-funds-for-epa-by-31-percent/
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