Which of the items in the following list does not belong?
If you answered "F," you've successfully demonstrated your own common sense. And you've also disqualified yourself from serving in Congress.
You see, on Wednesday, a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing titled, "Determining a Champion on the Field: A Comprehensive Review of the BCS and Postseason College Football." No, we didn't make that up. It's the real title.
Members of Congress took time out of their busy schedules and spent thousands of taxpayer dollars to sit around and talk about football. Specifically, whether or not the NCAA Division I-A national champion ought to be determined by the current Bowl Championship Series (BCS) or a playoff.
The Members of Congress, therein assembled, heard from six expert witnesses, including the current head of the BCS himself. They posed questions. They discussed and deliberated. They exchanged serious glances. They squinted at notes and gazed down their noses at the peasants gathered before them. And, in so doing, they made asses of themselves.
Discussions of college football are perfect fodder for office chatter or a boisterous discussion over a frosty beverage in a fine neighborhood establishment. And we're certain that we've seen Members of Congress in such establishments in the past. So why bother with a hearing? And why raise the specter of federal intervention into the day-to-day affairs of college athletics.
No matter how you slice it, the college football post-season is not an appropriate topic for Congress, whose powers are supposedly limited by a little document called the Constitution.
So how did our elected leaders justify their morning of football talk?
Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and was responsible for calling the hearing, explained it thusly: "Man doesn't live by policy alone."
Perhaps Congressman Barton is bored. That's understandable. We all get bored in our jobs. But we've got the nagging feeling that if we surveyed Congress, we could find at least one other member who would be glad to take the gavel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Maybe he or she would even bring a little enthusiasm to the job. Perhaps he or she might be interested in making progress on the many important issues that are pending before the Committee.
Of course, you answered "F" above, so you know better. This isn't about doing the people's business. It's about grabbing headlines. And by opining here about Chairman Barton's fantastic football extravaganza, we're only ensuring that he gets the attention he craves. But perhaps, if enough Americans take notice, he'll get the political comeuppance he deserves.
December 8, 2005