The Popcorn Stand: Sit-in symbolizes state of Congress

I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. It’s come to this. As I’m updating this, Democrats are in their 12th hour of a sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives.

This isn’t to belittle Congressman John Lewis who has led this sit in. But I don’t like this at all. I understand Lewis participated in numerous sit-ins and is a champion of the civil rights movement and his work in that area should be commended.

But I don’t like the idea of our leaders having to resort to this. I’m naive. I thought we got past having to hold sit-ins to fight social injustice or what Lewis and Democrats perceive as a social injustice not to act on some kind of gun legislation.

And 35 years ago, the thought of something like this happening would have never crossed our minds. We’ve gone from Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan having a beer together to staging sit-ins. That’s not progress.

I can tell you what the problem is. It’s money. MONEY. Because our members of the House of Representatives spend about 70 percent of their time fundraising, they don’t get to know each other.

So they end up holding sit-ins. It’s sad. Actually, it’s unconscionable.

It’s unconscionable a Congress has become so dysfunctional, it’s come to this. Blame whomever you want. I don’t care.

Maybe Will Rogers was right when he said, “Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re paying for.”

If this is the kind of government we’re going to get, I don’t want it.

— Charles Whisnand