Front Burner, Back Burner

Congress Talks Hot Button Issues, No Action On Immigration, Gas Prices

(CBS)  As Congress heads home for a long Fourth of July break, it's been hard at work — talking.

CBS News correspondent Gloria Borger reports that most of that talking has been about cultural issues. "Traditional marriage is under assault," says Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo.

"Some may argue that burning the flag is a form of speech," says Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky.

But who's really having that argument? No one, it seems — other than members of Congress.

"I think it's kind of stupid, frankly," says Rep. Chris Shays, R-Conn.

Shays, a moderate, is frustrated by Congress' preoccupation with hot-button cultural issues. They make for great debate — but have little chance of becoming law.

"We do not need to be dealing with issues like that," he says. "We have immigration; we have energy; we have budget deficits; we have long-term issues with Social Security and Medicare."

But solving those problems is hard — and this Congress doesn't want to tackle the hard stuff. Instead, with an eye on this fall's election, Republican leaders are dusting off some old standbys they can agree on to get the party faithful out to vote.

But the folks back home aren't interested.

"All of Washington is, at the moment, frankly a joke as far as the public is concerned," says Doug Bailey, a former Republican political consultant.

That doesn't seem to have deterred Congressional leaders. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R.-Ill., just unveiled what he calls an "American Values Agenda," which reads like a Top 10 greatest hits. On the list: a bill ensuring that Americans can display the flag at home and one that lets citizens keep their guns during disasters.

That's not exactly what the American public thinks is most important. A recent CBS News poll shows the public cares about jobs, immigration, gas prices and terrorism. Most of all, people care about the war in Iraq.

What did Congress do about that? It spent a week name-calling during floor debates designed solely to provide bumper sticker slogans.

And wait until the public gets wind of this: While Congress can't agree on raising the minimum wage, tucked away in a spending bill is a pay raise for members of Congress. Two percent, to be exact. Not much, but some say, it's far more than they deserve.