Anyone who requires further evidence of congressional dysfunction need look no further than recent action on the federal highway bill.
A day before the deadline to cut off funds, Congress approved a short-term funding patch before the House adjourned for its summer vacation. The three-month extension marks the 34th short-term funding patch since 2009.
Federal highway funding is not among the most controversial issues facing Congress. Maintaining and improving roads and bridges is not a partisan issue.
And, unlike other issues Congress will debate this fall, it is not a national defense issue like Obama's nuclear agreement with Iran or a life-and-death moral issue, like the renewed effort to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood.
Although the Senate approved a long-term transportation bill, the House recess compelled the Senate to default to passing the House-approved, short-term version.
This type of last-minute, must-pass, kick-the-can, temporary fix has become standard operating procedure. Congress has become accustomed to putting off action until the next deadline looms, the next shutdown awaits and the next temporary fix prolongs diverseness and postpones statesmanship.
An Associated Press story in Sunday's News Tribune began: "Congress is heading out for a five-week summer recess in anything but a cheerful mood, leaving behind a pile of unfinished business that all but guarantees a painful fall."
The story reports: The 12 annual spending bills that fund the government are hung up on a variety of disagreements .... That leaves Congress facing the likelihood of temporarily extending current spending levels, which gets lawmakers back to the prospect of a shutdown showdown over Planned Parenthood."
We recognize, and encourage, the need for comprehensive debate on substantive issue, including the nuclear pact with Iran and tax funding for Planned Parenthood.
What we deplore is holding other aspects of government hostage to gain advantage.
Congress has adopted the process of governing by narrowly averting catastrophe. And, as Congress has demonstrated by previous shutdowns, it is not always successful at that.