Congress needs a den mother to keep those children in line

Just who is in charge? For the United State Congress, the answer appears to be no one. Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz is the subject of a federal criminal investigation into whether he paid women for sex and whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl. No charges have yet been filed but it seems if he behaved illegally, there is little that can be done about it. In private business, there are clear rules governing behavior. There are workplace policies, and punishments for those who break them. Not so in Congress. There is no HR department. Of course, Congress can hold hearings and choose to punish a misbehaving lawmaker. But those typically fall victims to partisan politics, with lawmakers hesitant to punish a member of their own party. And like most things in Congress, these hearings would drag out and justice would be far from swift. They can be stripped of powerful committee assignments, but is that really enough punishment for all inappropriate behavior? Ultimately, the voters who elected Gaetz to office will determine his future. But those elections are only every two years. That seems a long time to wait for justice. Perhaps Congress needs some sort of Den Mother to keep our Congressmen who act like children in line. Because right now it seems no one has any real power to punish those who misbehave on the taxpayer’s dime.