Vacation season is pretty much over for Americans who had enough cash left over to travel farther than the nearest unemployment office.

But despite the hard times, taxpayers coughed up enough cash to keep members of Congress flying off to exotic places in fancy jets to help the little people back home lead better, more productive lives.

At least that's what they say.

I say, "Enough."

If millions of Americans can't afford fancy vacations, members of Congress shouldn't be flying all over the place, either. Maybe they think rubbing elbows with the pope or the queen of England improves foreign relations, but it only causes resentment back home.

And it needs to stop.

Congress chastises executives of taxpayer bailout recipients like AIG and General Motors for living like princes, but our highest-ranked public servants make corporate chiefs look like cheapskates in the spending department.

And what does it get us? "Another day older and deeper in debt," as Tennessee Ernie Ford said in the classic "Sixteen Tons."

Maybe it's time we demanded members of Congress spend more time back home. A lot more.

In fact, maybe it's time to give them a whole year off in the form of a paid vacation, during which they could not visit the nation's capital or pass a single bill.

We'd save literally billions in congressional travel, lodging, meals and tax-funded greens fees at plush resorts. Plus, getting Congress off the high-priced, high-polluting jets they love so much might reduce carbon emissions enough to end the mythical global warming crisis.

No new legislation at all for a single year. Think you'd notice? Maybe not.

All members of Congress do is pass new bills that cost more money. Period. Imagine going a year with no new spending. Just like most working families are doing now. It could be done easily. Just have Congress pass a resolution requiring the current budget stay intact with increases only as mandated for cost-of-living adjustments to programs like Social Security.

But no new spending. Which mean Congress would not be buying votes (and wasting money) on programs like the ones they just added for 2009. Spending jewels like the $3,800,000 taxpayers are now doling out for the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy, or the $1,900,000 for the Pleasure Beach water taxi service project (whatever and wherever that is).

And we wouldn't be serving up any more seagoing pork, like the $900,000 for fish management at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab or the $800,000 we are now shelling out for oyster rehabilitation in Mobile, Ala.

Oyster rehab? Send that money to VA hospitals and let's rehab the men and women who serve this country.

In 2009, Congress also voted to spend $850,000 at Iowa State University to improve understanding of surface winds and their damaging effects. How hard is that? Wind blows and dirt flies. Years ago, it got so bad we called the Central Plains the Dust Bowl. One day it will happen again.

And let's not forget the $200,000 Congress authorized for a tattoo removal program in Mission Hills, Calif. That one is supposed to reduce gang violence. Right.

Congress isn't good at much, but when it comes to wasting money, those clowns take the cake.

Let them take the year off instead. We'll all benefit.

Otherwise, they'll get all fired up and decide to spend another $1,791,000 for swine odor and manure management research, which we are currently paying for.

Surely we can go a year without funding manure odor studies. The stink couldn't get any worse in Washington.

(Send your e-mail comments to: alex@newnan.com)