Job Approval Ratings Way Down For President Bush and Congress

In my opinion, the numbers have been low due to lack of action on important issues, the threat of another war, and concerns about privacy rights

Opinion
By Scott McLean

A Harris Poll released last week showed President Bush's job approval rating at 29 percent, the lowest since he took office, according to a news release from PR Newswire.

Could polling numbers be any worse for a politician? Well, yes, and make that politicians, U.S. Congress.

You pretty much needed to use a magnifying glass to see the tiny support for the nation's lawmaking body. Sure it's my opinion, and there's more on the way.

First, a few more numbers...

The 18 percent positive and 80 percent negative approval rating of Congress (also Harris Poll) are difficult to imagine, unless we bring up "the issues" and the apparent lack of attention to them by Congress.

The following is how I see it...

Did anyone say Congress might start by securing the border, to prevent illegal immigrants, some criminals, and possibly even terrorists from crossing into our country? Hope so. And then there is the issue of what to do about the millions of illegals already in the United States.

On Monday, President Bush spoke on national television and gave his plan to secure the border, which could improve his poll numbers. Still, other concerns exist for Americans.

The war in Iraq and the possibility of U.S. military action against Iran are getting lots of Americans upset these days.

While this is my opinion, I believe it's an accurate one. Wouldn't another war be a terrible thing for the U.S.? I think so.

And while I'm thinking up questions, why is the NSA spying on Americans?

The domestic spying program no longer seems limited to stopping terrorists, and privacy rights of ordinary people are being threatened.

Congress can't afford to only debate this serious matter - a thorough investigation must be done, followed by action if necessary to protect our rights - or many of them could be debating in coffee shops a year from now, if they are not re-elected.