Patience is a virtue...right?

Through studying at least part of what goes on at the federal level, how Congress works, etc., I've gained at least some patience with the speed, or lack thereof, with which things move, and the minutia involved in every step of the legislative process. I mean, on average there are over 10,000 bills introduced in Congress EACH year. That is alot to deal with, nevermind oversight and budgetary responsibilities. While I may understand the volume of work that Congress has to contend with everyday (try looking at a senator's daily schedule sometime), I have to question some of their priorities. Steny Hoyer, the Democratic Majority Leader in the House of Representative has a really useful email service where a daily list of what bills, debates and votes are scheduled for a particular day. It includes resolution numbers, which comes in handy when contacting Congressional representatives.For example, some of the "pressing" issues that the House will be dealing with tomorrow include

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  Encouraging participation in hunting and fishing, and supporting the goals and ideals of National Hunting and Fishing Day and the efforts of hunters and fishermen toward the scientific management of wildlife and conservation of the natural environment (Rep. Gillibrand – Natural Resources)
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  The 75th anniversary of Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina (Rep. Henry Brown – Natural Resources)
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  Supporting the goals and ideals of "National Life Insurance Awareness Month" (Rep. Biggert – Oversight and Government Reform)
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  Recognizing the establishment of Hunters for the Hungry programs across the United States and the contributions of those programs efforts to decrease hunger and help feed those in need (Rep. Gingrey – Agriculture)
  
  to name a few. Admittedly, there are a couple that need to be taken care of, like The Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2007 (Rep. Rangel – Ways and Means)and the Pesticide Registration Improvement Renewal Act (Sen. Harkin – Agriculture). I realize that the daily business of the country still needs to be attended to in between hearings and investigations but come on. An anniversary for a garden and life insurance? There has GOT to be a better way to prioritize the time spent for our elected officials, beyond earning brownie points with local constituencies. If we want Congress to reflect our priorities, and act on them, than we need to stop wasting their time with small, localized issues that are better handled at the state level. No wonder people have the impression that nothing ever gets done.