Colbert Gets It Wrong

I was watching a repeat of the Colbert Report last night, and Stephen mentioned that Congress was a great insitution because it was only in session three days a week. The implication was that being in the House or Senate is a 24-hour a week job that pays $140,000 a year. A report on CNN said something similiar.

I have to say, this is a completely bogus argument. Yes the Congress is in session three days a week on average, with lots of breaks. But to say that members of Congress only work when they're in session is like saying that Professors only work when they're in the classroom (and I have heard people say that college faculty only work 10 hours a week). What, do people think that members of Congress are in the Bahamas when not on the House or Senate floor? When in Washington, they are committee meetings, endless fundraisers, visiting constituents, press appearances, and even (gasp) meeting with staff. When Congress is out of session, congressmen go back to their districts to hold town hall meetings, appear at public events, and work in their offices. Being in Congress is actually a pretty exhausting job. They start working at around 6 or 7 AM and don't stop till around 9 or 10, whether in Washington or back home, 7 days a week. And let's not even talk about their schedules during the election season.

The ignorant press wants people to think that being in Congress is easy. Well it's not - it's so much work that a lot of people don't think it's worth it. It's not 24 hours a week. It's more like 80.