Congress could make itself relevant again

I'm going to say something and then I'm going to duck: Being a member of Congress is a taxing profession that doesn't pay nearly enough based on the expectations and pressures of the job.

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It’s no wonder Democrats and Republicans are fleeing Capitol Hill in droves.I ducked because Congress — the House of Representatives and the US Senate, collectively — has a rather miserable average job approval rating of 23.78, with a whopping 66.38 disapproving. If you're reading this, there’s a good chance you don't think too highly of either representatives or senators. Which means you're probably not persuaded that a $174,000 annual base salary (top leaders earn a bit more) is inadequate, to say the least. That's fine; that’s usually the reaction I get. I’m used to it, according to the Tribune News Service. But consider what it takes to do the job right. Unless a member represents a district or state proximal to Washington, he or she is away from home and family for three to five days per week, every week, except when Congress is in recess. But hey, at least these dopes get a periodic recess, right? Especially the extended four-to-six-week August recess that Congress takes every summer. I mean, my job doesn’t give me any recess. Thanks to my smartphone, I’m lucky if I get to unplug on weekends. Except the term “recess” is deceiving.