THE GREAT SHAME OF THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

I've had it! I'm pissed! The Congress of the United States of America is a body that needs electric shock therapy. In spite of the efforts by those in Congress who understand that their job is to "promote the general welfare" (Constitution of the United States of America), our governing body has been hijacked by those who see their job as un-electing a president and getting their hands on the levers of power.

What has our vaunted governing body been doing lately? Political theater over contraception and the supposed wounded feelings of the Catholic Church. The "War on Religion!!" Oh give me a f*cking break!! How is this promoting the general welfare?

Members of Congress: read this. I dare you! This column by John Canzano, a sports writer for the Oregonian newspaper, is about a 16-year old girl who is battling osteosarcoma - bone cancer. Her doctor has told her that she maybe has a year left. The only treatment for this killer cancer is to remove affected body parts. One leg is gone, parts of both lungs have been taken, and next week the entire lower half of one lung will be cut out. Natalie has a bucket list, and shooting baskets with the Portland Trailblazers was checked off yesterday. The photo in the paper shows a beautiful, smiling, bald and very, very brave teenager. Read this column and then tell us how you can justify your childish behavior. Compared to this teenager - to all of our children - you look like a bunch of spoiled, name-calling children fighting over a pile of toys. Stop it! Do your job!

Members of Congress - what are you thinking? While you posture and pontificate and blabber away about the insults to the church of this or that, thousands and thousands of our kids, like Natalie, are bravely fighting for their lives and futures. They are fighting disease, they are fighting hunger, they are fighting poverty, they are fighting abuse, they are fighting schools that are way too crowded and underfunded, they are fighting for basic health care, they are fighting for a chance to get a meaningful job when they grow up. They are fighting for the future; what are you fighting for? If you can't put aside your petty partisan politics and fight for the future of these kids, then you are failing to perform the job you were elected to do, and you need to step down.

I am so sick and tired of the crap coming out of this Congress.  What will it take to change it? I don't have many illusions left about the strength of our democracy; I'm afraid it's been lost. There is a great divide in this country, and it's not just the politicians in Congress. We are now living in a mean society, where people cheer when a political candidate says that people who can't afford health care are on their own and who cares if they die because it's their own fault. A society in which we have devolved to name-calling and demonizing. And yes, a society in which yelling people down about who should and shouldn't pay for birth control is more important than helping our children live, grow and thrive.

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