Here are the Top 10 issues voters want Congress to resolve

After we’ve all been bombarded with stories about how the 112^th Congress was one of the worst ever, can anyone really count on the 113^th to be our lucky number?

With Congress passing less than 300 bills in 2011-12, the session that just ended is officially labeled the least productive in 60 years. If 200-plus sounds like plenty, consider this: at least 40 of the bills dealt with commemorative coins and the names of public buildings.

No wonder one poll now puts Congress’ approval rating at 5 percent. (I suspect those 5 percent couldn’t find Washington on a map).

If the new Congress wants to quickly repair its image and pass some common-sense legislation that will please the public, they should take a look at the list of the 10 most popular issues in the nation, as compiled through poll results by Digital First Media, the parent company of The Macomb Daily.

The list shows that the most popular bill the House and Senate could pass would be a measure to close the gun show loophole, which allows the purchase of high-powered firearms at places like the Gibraltar Trade Center without a federal background check.  A late December poll by USA Today and Gallup found that 92 percent of voters favor ending the loophole.

Other top issues with widespread public support include cutting spending across the board, supported by 75 percent in a Politico/George Washington University; allowing children of illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S., 70 percent support; and a mix of spending cuts and tax increases to reduce the deficit, 65 percent. 

The full list can be viewed here.

The Top 10 compilation is not likely to enthuse Democratic or Republican leaders on Capitol Hill. It’s a mix of liberal and conservative causes that reflect the public’s nonpartisan independence.

Yet, despite the overwhelming public support, it would mark an astounding accomplishment by Congress if the 10 items were adopted anytime soon.

A year ago, Gallup reported that more Americans labeled themselves as independents (40 percent) than as Democrats (31 percent) or Republicans (27 percent). That marked the highest percentage of independents the longtime polling firm had ever measured.

But here we are in 2013 and Congress still functions as a highly partisan two-party institution. Only two members of the incoming Congress are listed as independents and the rigged system we suffer from (due to redistricting and campaign financing) makes it difficult to increase the number of independent lawmakers

Imagine that: "independent" is the largest category of voters, but that same label applies to only two of 535 congressional members.

John Avalon of The Daily Beast, perhaps the most reasonable and pragmatic columnist in America,

recently skewered the Congress for promulgating the ongoing fiscal cliff crisis by sliding from hyper-partisan gridlock into the abyss of self-sabotage.

Here’s a part of what Avalon wrote:

“… Republican congressmen (are) terrified of being primaried from the right for being too reasonable.

This problem has been compounded by the rise of partisan media, which has dumbed down civic discourse into an angry, idiotic us-against-them exercise. The result is congressional division and dysfunction. Congratulations.

“FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity (had) been emailing their supporters to tell them to pressure their congressman not to vote for any tax increases. That might sound impressively principled, until you realize that it’s really an insult to their supporters' intelligence—because all taxes (would) be raised automatically, unless Congress (voted) to keep taxes low on 98 percent of Americans, as our supposedly socialist president has repeatedly proposed. 

"On the left, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (was) also arguing for no compromise, with its co-founder Adam Green emailing supporters: “Democrats need to continue a bright line position: Raise tax rates on those making $250,000, at least to the Clinton rates, and no cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits. Period.” This also (ended) up being an argument for going over the cliff, because it (doomed) any hope of even a modest deal as a good-faith basis for future action

on the deficit and debt.”

There are several national groups whose missions are to improve Congress. Among them are No Labels with its simple 12-point plan to promote interparty collaboration, and Public Citizen, which "advocates for a healthier and more equitable world by making government work for the people and by defending democracy from corporate greed."

Of all people, Bill Becker a liberal commentator who specializes in climate change columns, has embraced these groups that are trying to make Congress less partisan and more centrist. 

Here’s what he wrote recently:

“I can't think of a better time to support them. Their current opening for influence may be that the makeup and mood in Congress today are out of sync with the mood of the American people. Several polls last year found that the country is not nearly as divided along ideological lines as Congress is. According to election analysts Sam Best and Brian Krueger, for example, exit polls during the November election showed that "voters adopted centrist positions on most policy questions" and the majority of voters agreed on issues such as immigration policy, income tax rates and Obamacare.

“I've had the privilege of working with and learning from former U.S. Sen. Gary Hart during the past several years. I've not met anyone with greater insight into responsible government. He has watched with sadness as the comity and quality of Congress have declined. He doubts there are easy fixes. But when I asked him if Congress was irretrievably broken, he responded:  ‘A lifelong study of American history convinces me that nothing in our system is 'irretrievably broken.' As Truman said, the only new thing is the history you don't know. We've been through much worse before.’"