Each year around this time, Americans pause to celebrate their independence and express thanks for our freedom. This year, we have something else for which to be grateful: a new Congress, controlled by Democrats, which -- unlike the Republican Congress we were saddled with last year at this time -- is accomplishing great things for all Americans.
In the last six months, Democrats have delivered on promises to move this country in a new direction, put working families first and make our nation safer.
Here are some of the things this Democratically-held Congress has accomplished:
-- Passed farm disaster aid
-- Gave working Americans a long-overdue raise by increasing the minimum wage
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-- Passed a fiscally responsible budget that puts middle-class families first
-- Cleaned up Washington through ethics reform
-- Ensured our veterans receive the care and funding they deserve
-- Passed energy legislation that strengthens our economy and national security, protects our environment and makes America more energy-efficient
-- Pushed for a more positive direction in Iraq
What's the most substantial thing President George W. Bush has done lately?
He commuted the sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the vice president's former chief of staff. Libby will do no jail time for lying and obstructing an investigation to find who revealed the identity of a CIA covert operative. For this, he will serve a lesser jail sentence than Paris Hilton. And now there's talk Libby may be fully pardoned.
But obstructing justice is just a small part of the Republican agenda. They are also obstructing the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate with procedural and parliamentary delays that show they've learned nothing from the results of the last election.
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Democrats are working for a new, positive direction for our country. They are getting results. For Republicans, it seems their culture of corruption and do-nothing attitude continues.
(Gion is the communications director for the Democratic-NPL Party in North Dakota)
