Congress is like the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield. Sometimes it passes laws, only to have them interpreted into something different by the federal bureaucracy charged with implementing them. Considering this, it would be understandable if lawmakers were to complain that they "don't get no respect." A few examples:

1. Congress places language in the healthcare law stating that independent agents and brokers are to be included under the newly reformed system. But the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) takes steps to ensure agents won't be fairly compensated.
2. Congress has not contemplated imposing price controls on the private sector. But the Federal Crop Insurance Corp. (FCIC) is now dictating how much private sector insurance companies can compensate their insurance agents.
3. Congress wisely decided in 1981 that direct government sales of crop insurance are inefficient and producing losses, so it turned to private sector insurance agents to deliver crop insurance. The losses turned to gains and the program is making billions for the Treasury. Now, a union of federal employees is lobbying to turn the clock back 31 years and throw private sector agents under the bus, so the union members can immunize themselves from potential cutbacks.

Crop Insurance

Employees of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) are lobbying the USDA to be the sole agency to handle the processing of crop insurance claims and collecting acreage reports.

Related: Read the another article by Ted Besesparis "Potential Frankenstein."