18 December 2010 It must be hard being a Congressperson.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/17/hoyer-pushes-for-short-term-spending-bill/?hpt=T2

House members boo working holiday week

By: CNN's Rebecca Stewart
Washington (CNN) – House members aren't happy that they'll have to return next week, booing when House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced Friday they would have to return on Tuesday to continue their work.

Congress is still working through a number of issues, particularly that of funding the federal government after its current money runs out at 11:59 p.m. Saturday. The current plan is to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to pay for government operations for another five days - forcing the House to return on Tuesday and take whatever next step is agreed upon with the Senate.



"It is our intent at this point in time to recess…to obtain a short term CR for five days, until Tuesday night," Hoyer announced to the chamber, which had planned to recess after Friday. "Now there are a lot of grumbling on my side…I know there are at least 434 of my colleagues who are not happy about anything right now. I want you to know I will make that a unanimous judgment - I'm not happy either."

Two issues are keeping the Senate from passing a continuing resolution: A bill repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bans openly gay service members, and the START treaty, which would resume mutual inspections of U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals while placing limits on the nuclear stockpile of both countries. The House has passed repealing 'don't ask, don't tell," and the Senate must approve treaties by a two-thirds vote.

As Hoyer framed it, "This is our responsibility. We have two houses, we've got to agree." Democrats in the Senate believe they'll get a vote on both issues on Saturday.

Both chambers must pass the same continuing resolution to continue funding the government. A spending bill previously before the Senate collapsed on Thursday night under heavy criticism from Senate Republicans, who claimed it was rife with expensive earmarks. The House had previously passed the spending bill.



Cassi Creek:

Coming atop the statement by Senator Kyl of Arizona that working between Christmas and New Years Day isn't just a way to complete a busy lame duck agenda -- but an attack on people of the Christian faith; we begin to see the contempt that our elected representatives have for the American people. This point of idiocy surfaced during the Senate’s refusal to fund medical care for the surviving 1st responders who risked their lives on September 11th 2001. Many of them are now in need of extensive medical care as a result of their efforts on behalf of others. The Senator from Arizona seems more concerned with igniting a specious “war on Christians and Christmas” than with treating American citizens in a “Christian” manner. If there is a “war on Christmas, Senator Kyl, you are guilty of firing the damaging shots.

As for the gentlemen of the House, it seems as if they regard their selves as too important to work during a holiday period. Their opinions are greatly in error. There are millions of American citizens who work on weekends and holidays whether those jobs interfere with their religious or secular activities. The fire and police forces for whom the Senate refused to provide health care funding, our armed forces, thousands of doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals, work weekends and holidays because the nature of their job requires it. Their responsibilities are not limited to 9-5 hours, Mon-Fri. So they go to work when and where they are needed. If they should choose to give up those jobs for any reason, there are thousands of people lined up behind them anxious to step into employed status once more.

Here’s the deal, Congressmen, you are not so unique that you can’t be replaced by nearly any college graduate and by many with a high school diploma. Your responsibilities to the nation are 24-7 level responsibilities. If the nation is open for business, you had better be there and be ready to work.

There are many citizens from all over the political spectrum who know that your job performance is substandard. They believe that you don’t need to live in an exclusive neighborhood or have special parking permits at the airport. They would, as would I, like to see you living and dining in a barracks, transported to and from work by bus, paid only minimum wage. and not paid for any day of your term you are not present in the House. We’d all like to remove that sneaky little automatic pay raise gimmick your predecessors implemented and that your particular Congress is too self-centered to end.

There are millions of American workers wishing for gainful employment but unlikely to find it because your corporate owners have shipped all the jobs offshore with your blessing and assistance. There are millions of Americans who would gladly work weekends, holidays, nights, and overtime in order to bring in a paycheck and put food on the table.

How dare you act like spoiled children at the prospect of having to work over the winter holidays! How dare you boo like drunken football fans!

If you can’t be bothered to do your job properly, if the job is “just too hard;” quit, like Palin, and let someone who needs a job take over. We don’t need Congressmen like you; we need Congressmen who will actually do the job they were elected to do.

Millions of your fellow Americans need food, heat, shelter, and jobs. How dare you!