A bouquet for Congress

A bouquet of spring tulips and daffodils to the US Congress. The lawmakers are so often the butt of criticism for fadiddling around that the public ought to sit up and take notice when the critics are proved wrong.

This brief session, which did not even gear up until February, is worthy of the name ''legislature.'' As the senators and representatives headed back to home towns for the normal spring break, they took with them a list of accomplishments: passage of a $4.6 billion jobs bill, approval of a massive social security reform package, and good progress on the fiscal 1984 budget.

If that weren't enough, they also managed to delve into such vital issues as aid for El Salvador, the EPA scandal, and a nuclear freeze. There is still much on the agenda but it at least is being worked at.

The lesson? When the White House and the Congress have the resolve and political will, they can work together and get things done. It should not take an economic recession to spark this kind of legislative/executive give-and-take and bipartisan spirit. Think what could be accomplished if such a climate prevailed at all times. It would put to rout the frequently heard belief that the United States is no longer governable.

The 98th Congress is proving that stalemate is only a state of mind. And a state of mind - can always be changed.