Steve Chapman does not like lame duck Congressional sessions. He wants to know why we continue to wait until January to seat the new Congress when transportation and communications advances mean that new Representatives and Senators could take office soon after the election.
When the republic was founded, the president wasn't sworn in until March, which was a concession to bad roads and slow travel. In 1933, the Constitution was amended to mandate the installation of the president and Congress in January, reflecting the better transportation of the rail age.It might even give the outgoing Congress the push it needs to get its work done. Chapman is right, it is time to eliminate the two-month gap and get our new Congress seated and working by late November at the latest.By now, though, the two-month interval is as obsolete as a steam locomotive. We know almost all the results of the election within hours of the last poll closing. The winners could be in Washington the following day. Acquainting newcomers with their new responsibilities might take a bit longer, but there is no reason members of Congress should continue wielding power for weeks after their successors have been chosen.
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