I love staying politically fired up as much as the next person, but the endless torrent of bills and amendments can be pretty overwhelming. So when I heard about the Countable app, which helps people keep track of congressional legislation, I decided to check it out. Here’s what I found: When you first download the app, you can pick from a list of topics ranging from “Donald Trump” to “Abortion” to (yes, this one is real) “Congress Shenanigans.” Apparently Congress has been quite naughty. Here are the titles of a few articles covering their shenanigans:
“Is it Bad to Watch Porn at Your Government Job—Just Asking For a Friend.”
“Should Congress Create a National Dance Day?” (These are the real issues.)
“Is Magic a ‘National Treasure’?” (So this is how Congress spends its time...)
On the home button, you can see a bunch of bills that recently passed or are currently going through Congress, usually phrased as questions like “Why Isn’t Congress Fighting Zika?” If you click on it, it gives an overview of the bill and the reasons for and against it. Also, why isn't Congress fighting Zika? I have eight very scary bug bites on my leg…
You can select the state you’re from to see which Congressmen or women are from your state. You can see how your representative voted on each bill and send them messages (including videos!). So if you have that friend who is always ranting about politics, this app is perfect for them.
Countable also has a social media component. You can click “Yea” or “Nay,” comment and endorse comments made by other people. If you don’t participate, you have to see a very disappointed Ben Franklin every time you open your profile. As if the piss on his bench weren’t insulting enough.
They also have some educational articles like “How Do Political Polls Work? Here’s How to Tell If They’re Crap” or more opinionated blog posts such as “North Korea Launches Big, Fifth Nuclear Test. What Should the U.S. Do?”–– which features a great photo of Kim Jong–un’s giggling.
