Robert Ingersoll was asked for his opinion of miracles in the 1870's.  His reply included an assessment of "miracles" described in the bible, followed by a parable of sorts.  A portion of Ingersoll's response, taken from "Sixty-Five Press Interviews with Robert G. Ingersoll" (AAP, 1983), went like this:

"All the miracles recorded in the New Testament could have been simulated.  A fellow could have pretended to be dead, or blind, or dumb, or deaf.  I want to see a good miracle.  I want to see a dog with one leg, and then I want to see the other leg grow out."  Next, Ingersoll offered a humorous parable:

"Two men were disputing about the relative merits of a salve they had for sale.  One of the men, in order to demonstrate that his salve was better than any other, cut off a dog's tale and applied a little of the salve to the stump and, in the presence of the spectators, a new tail grew out.  But the other man, who also had salve for sale, took up the piece of tail that had been cast away, put a little salve at the end of that, and a new dog grew out, and the last heard of those parties they were quarelling as to who owned the second dog.  Something like that is what I call a miracle.

If someone could come up with a salve or other remedy for an honest Congress, I, too, would give some respect to the notion of having witnessed a miracle.  The Congress today is a disreputable institution.  The approval rating is 25 percent - lower even than that of George W. Bush at the end of his sorry eight-year reign of ruin. On Friday last, former Louisiana congressman, William Jefferson, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for taking bribes.  Congressmen and women all take bribes, in my opinion, but they are legal when called campaign contributions from special interest lobby groups.  Of course, they all insist that contributions of thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars in no way influences their voting, but you have to believe in biblical-level miracles to buy that.  Other former Congresspersons currently in prison for chicanery of one sort or another include Randy "Duke" Cunningham, Bob Ney and James Traficant.

Yes, given the nature of the campaign fund-raising norms or system of legal bribery that exists today, a House of Representatives with 435 honest and a Senate with another 100 honest members would, I belive, satisfy even "the great agnostic" and skeptic Robert Green Ingersoll that a miracle had occurred.

I have an idea that would facilitate a somewhat MORE honest Congress, and such a consummation would not require a miracle to come about.

I suggest that the president appoint and the Congress endorse the establishment of a non-partisan committee to vet the ethical qualifications of all candidates for Congress.  The independent committee would develop an efficient method to assess the ethical quality of everyone elected to the House and the Senate of the United States, and assess any ethical charge brought against said member.  If found not to be ethical, the member would be expelled.

That is my REAL wellness suggestion of the day.  It is the first in a series of REAL wellness suggestions that will appear at this space from now until the end of time or until I die, whichever comes first.  Your comments about this and/or future suggestions are warmly, lovingly and earnestly encouraged.  All comments will be listed at the site.

All the best.  Enjoy your life - it's the only one you're going to get so make the most of it.