I don't know about you, but I find this encouraging.

The 112th Congress is opening by reading the entire Constitution, something that the House has surprisingly never done before. They also approved new rules, including a requirement that all bills cite the Constitution.

House Speaker John Boehner: "Hard work and tough decisions will be required of the 112th Congress. No longer can we fall short. No longer can we kick the can down the road. The people voted to end business as usual and today we begin to carry out their instructions."

I fully realize that Republicans haven't always been much better than Democrats in following the Constitution. The Tea Party was hugely influential in the last election, however, and if the new Congress is listening to their constituents they will begin to change things in Washington. Here's hoping that this is a real, and lasting, change from "politics as usual."