Within days, several people had proved him wrong.  One could write this off as just another politician ignoring the maxim “Always be sure brain is in gear before engaging mouth.”  However, anyone who wants to be President ought to be aware that telling Americans something can’t be done is just asking for trouble. It’s one of the things that makes America special – we have NEVER taken NO for an answer.

The past few years Congress has been unable to rise to the challenges we face, but that doesn’t mean the American people won’t.  We deserve a leader who understands that and can harness it to get Congress back to work. Newt’s Volt comment shows it is not him.

I am thoroughly disgusted with the hypocrisy of “conservatives” who want to get government “off the backs” of the uberrich and megacorps, but at the same time legislate their religious pretensions into every bedroom in America.

If Santorum wants to be a missionary, he has two choices:  Ditch his family and join the priesthood, or move to a theocracy like Iran and run for President against  Ahmadinejad.

It seems to me that criticism should be leveled at Congress, who are all so busy posturing for election that they haven’t even passed a budget in three years.  Let’s send the Oakland police to the Capitol to tell Congress to quit demonstrating and get back to work.

• If you are “overly concerned about privacy”, you might be a terrorist.
• If you “pay cash”, you might be a terrorist (shame on you for not letting the banks get a cut of your purchase).
• If you sign in to a “residential based internet provider” (you know, to check your Comcast email),  you might be a terrorist.
• If you use anonymizers, portals, encryption, or VOIP (no Skype calls for you, buddy),  you might be a terrorist.
• If you take photos of popular locations,  you might be a terrorist (or a photographer).
• If you read about terrorist attacks, police or government information, you might be a terrorist (or just an informed citizen).

So, all you red blooded patriots, gather up your yellow stars and head down to your local Starbucks and make sure you mark all those terrorists and then call the FBI so they can come pick ‘em up and haul ‘em off to indefinite detention without charges.  Only by ratting out any of your neighbors that don’t go to your church can the next terrorist plot be stopped, because all Homeland Security’s good for is groping grandma and confiscating cupcakes.

Dear Mr. McIntosh:

Thank you for contacting me about the Committee on House Administration’s ban on Christmas greetings in official mailings.

I agree that this ban is ridiculous. Our nation was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles, and Members of Congress should be able to say “Merry Christmas” in their correspondence. However, I do not believe that printing and mailing Christmas cards is a prudent use of your hard-earned tax dollars, and in the absence of this rule, I am certain that this abuse would occur. That said, the voters – not any congressional committees – write the best rules.

Ultimately, voters judge service and stewardship, and they will voice that judgment at the ballot box come election day.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and wish you all the best in the New Year. Please call on me if I may be of service to you.
Sincerely,

Rob Woodall
Member of Congress

Clearly no one on Mr Woodall’s staff even read what I sent beyond the subject line, and checked off standard reply number 315b, but I think I would be less offended if the standard reply was:

Dear Mr McIntosh,

I am very sorry to inform you that since you are not a lobbyist or large contributor to my Congressman For Life Fund I cannot be bothered reading what you wrote nor do I care, as you cannot afford representation in Congress.

Actually Sincerely,

Rob Woodall
Member of Congress

Mr Woodall, the best rules are made by those who actually observe what goes on around them, not those who make assumptions based on book covers or subject lines.  If you would sponsor my Legislative Accountability Amendment, proposed laws would be limited to a length which would make it possible for you and your staff to actually read them in their entirety before rushing to judgement.

I am about to email you again with a link to this post.  Please do not send me the same “They won’t let me say Merry Christmas” whine in response.

It seems to me that there are 535 jerks in Washington DC with seriously unfinished business who desperately need to spend Christmas Eve in the Old City Bar.

“If you want to arrange it
This world you can change it
If we could somehow make this
Christmas thing last

By helping a neighbor
Or even a stranger
And to know who needs help
You need only just ask”

I dare them to find something to argue about in that!

If doctors are required to “do no harm”, and the practice of law causes harm, then treating lawyers so that they continue to live and work does in fact cause harm.   Therefore doctors should be required NOT to treat lawyers.

And yes, I understand that sounds like the way a lawyer would twist something away from its intended purpose.  I rather like the irony…

Congress passed the law that set the debt ceiling.

Congress passed the tax laws that set revenue.

Congress passed all the bills that spend money.

So why is Congress looking around for someone to blame that the tax and spending bills they passed are about to violate the debt ceiling law they passed?

I have a degree in Finance and run my own consulting business, and I am getting really sick of the ignorance that Tea Party Republicans are spouting.

(1) Your Balanced Budget Amendment idea is just plain BAD ECONOMICS. In economic downturns, the government should run at a deficit in order to help turn things around. In good economic times, it should pay down that deficit/run at a surplus. We are in the mess we are in now not because of running at a deficit during a recession but because during the last boom under President Bush we still ran at a deficit. He started two wars while cutting taxes. No other government in the history of the world has ever done that.

(2) “Taxes kill jobs.” “The check is in the mail.” “I did not have sex with that woman.” We have been operating under the Bush tax cuts for the rich for over ten years now, and employment numbers are still pitiful. The middle class isn’t getting a trickle down effect, we are getting peed on. Businesses hire or fire based on profitability. A rational company hires when it can make more profit with the additional help than without it. Whether the tax rate is 10% or 50% doesn’t matter. If I don’t expect the new hire to increase my profits, it doesn’t happen. Doesn’t matter what percentage of those profits I get to keep if there aren’t going to be any.

The thing holding back hiring at this point is uncertainty. There are too many bullies in Congress who are more concerned with making problems for Obama than in solving problems for the country as a whole. I think we should have sent all 537 of you to Gitmo weeks ago with the stipulation that the return flights don’t happen if the country defaults. It is time for all of you to grow up and do your job as a team.