How Times Have Changed: National Journal has produced its end-of-year "State of Congress" report, which looks at trends in both houses. Some parts of the report are quite good, as in the section that deals with the budgeting process:

Under the 1974 Budget Act and subsequent amendments to it, Congress is supposed to pass an annual budget resolution in the springtime that governs how much money appropriators may spend and what changes other committees may make in entitlement programs. The idea is to build discipline into the process. But most of the time, the budget resolution appears meaningless, because Congress ultimately exceeds its spending ceiling.

Congress has flouted the budget resolution in 10 of the past 17 fiscal years, going back to fiscal 1988, under the watch of both parties. Budgeteers argue that spending constraints enacted in 1990 did control spending for much of the 1990s, but the figures show that, during several of those years, spending exceeded the annual budget resolution. In addition, Congress failed during many of those years to meet budget and spending deadlines.

Others are full of unfortunate handwringing and thumbsucking. For example:

During the controversial House vote on the Medicare conference report in the wee hours of November 22, Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., dramatically demonstrated the power of his post. With the measure evidently one vote shy of passage, Hastert kept the vote open for nearly three hours as he rambled desperately across the Republican side of the chamber, urging numerous members to reverse their opposition. Ultimately, of course, Hastert succeeded, and the bill passed.

Gosh, what a bully. I remember a story of when LBJ was majority leader in the senate. During a roll call vote, one of his Democrats voted out of step with the party. LBJ stood up and hollered something along the lines of "Change your vote, you son of a bitch!" Which the senator promptly did.

There's always an end-times theme to the musings of professional Congress watchers. Things are always going to hell. Civility is always breaking down. Partisanship (which is not always a bad thing, mind you) is always on the rise. But, in general, it's crap. Congress has been a fractious, uncivil institution from the start. That's as it should be. When they all hold hands and start singing together, that's when I know a particularly awful and destructively stupid piece of legislation is on the way.