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So what exactly does Congress do?

Well, not much. In fact, the current Congress -- which will shuffle off into oblivion when a new one is sworn in next month -- was historically good at doing nothing. It's on pace to be the least productive Congress in recent history. 

Yet, members of Congress are paid a healthy $174,000 a year. That's pretty good pay for doing less than almost everyone who came before you.

But what if I don't like big government and I want Congress to interfere with my life as little as possible?

Understood. The problem is that Congress is so inactive that it may start to affect your life. Take our roads and bridges for example. As we covered last week, our country is filled with really old infrastructure. Bridges can collapse at any moment. Roads are unsafe to you and your family.

Congress could fix this easily. It could raise the gas tax. If that's too unpalatable, it could allocate funds from somewhere else.  

But it has done neither. Instead, it has sentenced us to live in imminent danger of a bridge collapse. Thanks, guys!

So what can I do?

Find out who represents you in Congress. Look at their policy positions. Be informed of what they are doing each day. Young people, in particular, need to take Congress seriously. We voted in large numbers in 2008 and 2012 -- when there was a president on the ballot -- but we had disappointing turnout in 2010 and 2014. 

Issues like roads and bridges, net neutrality, drug policy -- Congress has a massive impact on them. And if we want to have an impact, we have to let them know we're watching. For starters, make sure you're registered to vote, which you can do at OurTime.org.