Congress has reached it's lowest approval ratings since 1973. Gallup's 2010 Confidence in Institutions survey has Congress ranked at dead last with a 11% approval rating. In other words only a mere 11% of Americans have a a strong feeling of confidence in the institution that is supposed to represent their interests. The poll, taken between July 8th and July 11th, shows a 6% drop in approval since 2009 when it stood at 17%.

 

Fully 50% of Americans say the have "very little" or no confidence in Congress, up 12% from 2009. In addition confidence in the Presidency has fallen a full 15 percentage points to 36% since June 2009. President Barrack Hussein Obama's ratings have fallen a full 11 percentage points to 47?% during the same period.

 

These numbers indicate a nation that has reached a level of complete dissatisfaction with it's elected officials. Congress can be trusted to do the right thing about as often as a convention attorneys or used car salesmen. Most Americans would trust a distant cousin with their interests more than they trust Congress.

 

The House's overall tab

 

    * $2.6 million spent on food and beverages for reps and their staffers

    * $604K Spent on bottled water -- in 19,000 individual line items, many for Nestle's Deer Park water-delivery subsidiary
    * $397K Spent on catering -- CapitolHost is easily the largest caterer serving the House, though there's plenty to go around here
    * $135K Spent on meals at restaurants of all shapes and sizes, including $152 at Quiznos