Every piece of legislation the Republican Congress has brought to the floor so far this year has amounted to a major corporate bailout on the backs of everyday Americans. No wonder it's approval rating is lower than any point in five and a half years. Gallup has the data:

A new Gallup survey, conducted March 7-10, shows a drop in public approval of the way Congress is handling its job, but no change in President George W. Bush's approval rating. A majority of Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country, little changed from last month, and about the same level it has been for over a year. The situation in Iraq heads the list of the most important problems facing the country, while Social Security, terrorism, the economy in general, and healthcare essentially tie for second.

According to the poll, 37% of Americans approve, but 53% disapprove, of the way Congress is handling its job. Last month, the comparable figures were 45% approve to 48% disapprove. The current figures are the lowest that Gallup has measured since September 1999, though approval was as low as 40% just last October.

David W. Moore, who writes up the poss for Gallup, tries to chalk up these results to the not always amicable debate roaring in Congress right now. This is not necessarily a proper reading, however.

Bush and his Republican Congress are pushing for partial privatization of Social Security, a move that enjoys about 37% support among the American people. Why is it surprising to the folks at Gallup that the overall approval of Congress sits at 37% as well?

Even more importantly, the more people learn about the policies enacted by Congress this term -- most notably the Bankruptcy "reform" that benefits the Credit Card companies on the backs of the American people (except for the extremely wealthy) -- the less they like it. A day of reckoning will occur for this Republican Congress, and when it occurs, it will be very fun to see.