Typically, resolutions are made before the new year begins. But it’s not too late for those who missed the deadline to resolve. Recently, Congress has had a habit of missing deadlines. So Marketplace asked Americans for resolutions they think their lawmakers should make for 2013.

Lori Hoffman:

Just take a pay cut and give it to the middle class, like me, and the poor.

Brian O’Connell:

More of long-term planning instead of short-term. A lot of it’s been short-term deals. We had the problem, the debt ceiling. It seems like it’s just more of just patching the system instead of actually fixing it.

Mark Wilson:

Congress should resolve to start thinking about the country first. That means, to kind of get together, find out what’s needed. They should go back to old time politics and do bipartisan consensus. You know, they’ve got a job to do. Just do their job.

Betty Hoffman:

I have a habit of waiting until the last minute and a lot of times it’s not good. It’s not good for the other people around me. But I feel that they should not wait until the end of the year. There should be a cutoff. It should be all settled, say by the end of November. For me there was no reason for them to wait until the last minute. I swear to God they do it on purpose, I really do. They do it on purpose.

What resolutions do you think your lawmakers should make?