Dear Steny

Dear Steny,

Steny Hoyer, the voice and the very soul of reason....

I don't know if this is gall or hubris.

Your recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, "Shared Sacrifices Will Solve the Debt Crisis", is replete with fuzzy code lingo straight from your talking points: "shared sacrifice", "raising revenue", "hide the costs of war". Your pithy description of "pay-as-you-go", and your hypocritical assertion that current deficits are "the result of President Bush's... tax cuts... wars... rescue of the financial sector in the last few months of his presidency....", remembering to blame Bush whenever possible.

You hector "the public" on their responsibility to "understand that lower taxes and higher spending may be popular, but... are... a dangerous combination...." Good Lord, Steny! Where have you been for the last 12 months? Millions of Americans have faxed, called, emailed, marched and gone to the airwaves and the internet with their demands that you and your colleagues curb spending! You, Nancy Pelosi, The Big Gavel, John Lewis, Emmanuel Cleaver and Heath Shuler and many other courageous people, facing an alleged hail of violence, racial invective and spitting, all walked, arms locked, right past several members of "the public" in Washington just a few weeks ago! Some of them shared their concerns about a health care bill you planned to pass that day.

There's a video of it on Youtube.

I think you're being a bit disingenuous, or are somehow unable recall that day. Several members of Speaker Pelosi's staff were seen drinking alcohol on her balcony. Is it possible that you had perhaps joined them in lifting a celebratory glass or three? Do you seriously think "the public" don't understand this? BECAUSE YOU EITHER FORGOT, OR WERE OTHERWISE SOMEHOW IMPAIRED IN YOUR ABILITY TO KNOW THEY WERE THERE!!!!

Speaking of health care, you say that costs "... are one of our main challenges." - really? Didn't you just pass a bill that fixed that? Then you follow the admonition with a not-so-thinly veiled admission that you actually failed to address health care cost controls in the final, reminding Congress "... to insure that as the law is enacted, it achieves the goal of containing costs(!)." You didn't have cost containment measures in the bill? Oh, those darned reconciliation rules... hmm... that explains why you all are in such a hurry to get Dianne Feinstein's price controls in place. As an aside, some democrat recently went so far as to offer to discuss tort reform with Republicans in exchange for their help in resolving Dianne's dilemma. Was that you?

This is a siren song to... independents? Your base? These are already supposedly squarely in your corner. No, this is an attempt to beguile moderate Republicans into some kind of bipartisan CYA so you can continue to pose as a reasonable, honorable fellow while your colleagues behind the curtain cobble together last pieces of Feinstein's fix. Steny, as far as I'm concerned this is the same song, seventh verse now. If you pick off enough squishy Republicans to pass your price controls, so be it.

You are correct in this respect - shared sacrifices will solve the debt crisis. In that spirit, I will help you sacrifice your legislative and spending authority, as well as that of many of your democrat colleagues in November 2010, thereby curbing much of President Obama's spending authority for the balance of his term. Then we can remove his spending authority altogether in November 2012.

If we save the country from your unregenerate progressivism, preserving and extending the nation's future for our posterity, why, imagine the trillions of dollars saved over ten years in interest payments alone!

I still don't know if this is gall or hubris....

Sincerely
"The Public"

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, especially when confronting disingenuous or otherwise impaired democrat politicians.