Bailout-The Aftermath

I had to take a double dose of my blood pressure medicine today after talking to the Florida and Washington offices of my representative Debbie Wasserman. I realize that some intervention is needed to stabilize the financial markets, but I wasn't sure if the "bailout bill" was the answer.

I wanted the read the bill. So, I called Debbie's Pembroke Pines, Florida office to get the number of the House bill. Her staff didn't know. I then called her Washington office. They gave me the number HR 3997. I looked up HR 3997 and found that it was called "Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Act" I could not find any mention of the bailout. However, there are seven versions of the bill, not to mention that in the 109^th Congress the bill was called the "Data Accountability & Trust Act" (Oct, 2005). Is it any wonder nothing gets done in Washington.

I finally called the clerk of the House of Representatives and learned that the "bailout" provision was nothing more than an amendment to HR 3997. So even if the bailout provisions were perfect and answered all our prayers, it still could have been voted down  for the same reasons the original bill was never passed since 2005.

For those of you that took out a mortgage for more than you could afford and have no savings there is no sense of urgency. But for me there is. I think its important. If a bill is put before Congress, it deserves their undivided attention. The amendment was 109 pages. It would probably take someone as smart as me at least a day to digest it. When did your representative have time to read it?

You're probably thinking that they had all day on Monday to discuss it. Wrong again. Before Congress could address the bailout, all the while I am losing several thousand dollars per hour, they had to vote on HR 3399, banning pesticides containing atrazine, HR 6669, covering FDR documents, and HR 4131, renaming a CA State Road to Juanita Millender Highway, just to name a few.

Maybe you still can't decide between Obama and McCain. But for all other offices Sherman's Rule applies: never vote for an incumbent.

God bless America and nowhere else.