The worst legislation? Not quite.

Sen. Harry Reid said the House's Cut, Cap, and Balance bill was the worst legislation in American history.

Worst. In history. You don’t say? I wonder where Reid would rank it on this list. Maybe:

1. Fugitive Slave Act (1850)
2. Indian Removal Act (1830)
3. Cut, Cap and Balance Act (2011)
4. Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)
5. Executive Order #9066 [Japanese internment] (1942)
6. The Volstead Act [prohibition] (1919)

 I would add as possibilities the National Industrial Recovery Act (1933) which created the NRA, and the Agricultural Adjustment Act (1933) which set up the AAA. Neither of these agencies worked, and both laws were declared unconstitutional.

What about the Smoot-Hawley Tariff (1930), which was a major cause of the Great Depression? Don't be fooled by the date. The bill was debated throughout 1929 and financial markets followed the debate closely. The stock market went down every time the bill's chances for passage improved.