Almost everything Congress is doing is a distraction from what over 80% of Americans say is needed - new jobs. Today, Americans are paying the smallest share of their income for taxes than at anytime in the last 50 years and they are still enjoying "temporary" tax relief that went into affect 10 years ago.

It's interesting watching millionaires like John Boehner working so hard to protect the fat cats who don't want to participate in revenue sharing and are willing to put our whole economic system and that of the world's at risk because of their basic greed. They want to keep their money circulating in the financial system or spend it on expensive products produced in other countries.

The fat cats also support outrageous subsidies to big oil, coal, gas, tobacco farmers, and faith based programs, but have little real compassion for anyone making less than $171,000, many of whom are unemployed, have trouble putting food on the table, leaving over 4 million families on the verge of losing their portion of the American Dream - a home.

Congress voted to raise the debt ceiling 75 times in the past half-century. George W. asked for four increases totaling $4.7 trillion during his terms and got no resistance from Boehner and his crew.

The same fat cats are trying to convince us that we don't need government oversight and that American corporations can self-regulate with consumer's health and safety as utmost priorities. If that was true, the tobacco industry would have come out years ago on what they know to be the dangers of cigarettes.

The fat cats want to force women to give birth to unwanted children and then cut off funding for programs for low-income families, children and seniors.

Is this truly the kind of country you want?

Gordon Clay
TheCitizensWhoCare.org
Brookings, OR