Pass the Sick Bag, Alice

I was listening to MSNBC this morning and Tina Brown of the Daily Beast used the supposedly famous Brit saying, Pass the Sick Bag, Alice, to describe what is going on in Congress right now.  I agree with her.

Republicans and Democrats put millions of dollars in earmarks in the latest appropriation bill that is intended to keep government operating and now the Republicans saying they are not going to support any bill with those earmarks in it. Republican Senators Thune and Cornyn actually held a press conference on this subject. Thune put over $150 million in earmark requests for South Dakota. At least the Democrats own up to their earmarks and admit they want them passed. Unfortunately, they haven't got the message yet that the American people want Congress to stop adding to the debt. Hypocrisy.

The Democrats want to amend the tax bill that has passed in the Senate to add language about the inheritance tax. There is plenty of partisan politics to go around and who is being held hostage? The American people, that's who.

Republican Senators DeMint and Kyl have been in the news saying it is sacrilegious and basically an affront to the most sacred holiday of the year to make Congress members and their staff stay and work to get  legislation like the START Treaty done.  The Dems are dissing Christmas, they say, for making them stay in Washington instead of going home to their families. Forget the fact that DeMint said he wanted to read the entire START Treaty bill as a filibuster which would take not quite a hundred hours of time on the floor. Maybe if these people cared one hoot for all us "little people," they would just do what they were elected to do and quit playing petty politics for their own self indulgence.

They seem to forget that there are many Americans who work on Christmas.  Whine about not getting home to your loved ones to all those police officers, firefighters, hospital workers, and service men and women who "work" for us and our country on this most sacred holiday. These people are missing Christmas with their loved ones because it is their job to keep us safe and secure.

Like I said, pass the sick bag, Alice. The Democrats and Republicans in Congress make me sick.