Ok, so it's Congress that should be abolished

Thanks to my Dad for pointing out that it's Congress' fault that we can't flick our BIC on airplanes any more. Apparently the language calling for such regulations was buried deep within the intelligence reform bill passed earlier this year by Congress.

But this is the perfect segue for an idea I've been nursing for at least five years. If we can't abolish Congress, at the very least we can send them back to their districts where they belong, doing the job for which they were elected, namely representing their constituents.

Think about it: a virtual Congress. One of the biggest complaints about Congress is that they spend too much time inside the Beltway and lose touch with their constituents. I think that Rep. Smith and Sen. Jones might be more sensitive to the concerns of their constituents if they had to patronize the same businesses, worship in the same churches, send their kids to the same schools and generally interact with them more than they do now. Something tells me that there are fewer lobbyists in $1500 suits in places like Sumter, S.C., Tulsa, OK, and Puyallup, WA.

Twenty years ago such an idea would have seemed like something out of a science fiction movie. But today, with the advent of the Internet, a virtual Congress is easily within our grasp. Each representative could be linked to the others via a secure, high-speed data, voice and video network. All their business could be conducted via voice or video conference. The influence of lobbyists and special interests would be diluted since all of their targets would be dispersed across the U.S.

So, while we can't abolish Congress, we can send them packing.

Send 'em home, I say.