Mike-

When your posting didn't show up on Monday, I was afraid you felt so unappreciated you were leaving us!

The problem is not you; it is that the glaciers melt faster than Congress moves--although that may be a poor analogy considering the pace of global warming. We are out here reading, absorbing, and looking for your weekly posting. Don't worry about being lonely; you'll need to clone yourself several times over to keep up with the pace at the end of the session. And that's when we'll really need you to inform us if they try to slip something through un-noticed in the flurry of activity at the end.

I am looking forward to a posting from you about the "legislative agenda for the balance of the year", read--how they intend to try to get re-elected.

Keep up the good work--and it is good work--very good. All the NBC blogs--from the Senate, the House, and the UN are performing a much needed and appreciated public service.

As an observer and critic of the Washington political crowd, I would state that there are two realities taken place. One that has truth and substance and the other that has deception and wishful outcomes. I remember as a child when something that my parents didn't want me to know would say I'll explain it to you when you're older. Mr. Boehner seems to have a child like analogy of his understanding actual truth as wishful thinking. He is neither honest or forthcoming about the actual state of our Country in terms of the economy, job creation, the conflict in Iraq, education, or healthcare as it relates to the common worker. Hard to believe he came from a family of 12 kids. And we wonder why there aren't term limits for politicians. So will the Republicans loose their majority in Congress in the fall Mr Boehners? I'll tell you when you're older.

It is the lack of competent leadership that is causing anxiety in our nation. We are tired of this administration's arrogance, dishonesty, refusal to see the reality of the crises that confront us; and their disregard for our children's future.

Boehner better believe the American people are watching and will take action in November and in 2008. We are going to take back our America.

This is a joke: Boehner posits that the administration and Republicans are getting "no credit" for the good economy "as a result over the fact that we are at war.

No Boehner, the American people cannot be fooled that easily. We know this is a scary economy because:
1) We have a $2,509,839,282,808 naitonal debt
2) a U.S. trade deficit that is at record levels so we must borrow more & more money from foreign countries to finance the deficit
3) we have a declining US dollar
4) in this last quarter the household savings rate was negative for the first time
5) rising fuel prices
6) minimum wage at about $5.15 forces many inidviduals to work more than one job to get by
7) escalating health care costs
8) only the well-off can afford cancer drugs
9) thirty million American workers, 1 out of every 4, make less than $8.70 an hour. These workers, even the ones who work full time year-round, do not earn enough to lift a family of four out of poverty
10) we are becoming a nation of Haves and Have Nots

You can bet there is anxiety in the nation, and politicians will be feeling their own anxiety at the polls this year and in 2008. I have worked hard my entire life like most Americans, and fortunately I am not in the "working poor" category now. But I am smart enough to know that for most Americans if they had one major health crisis or unexpected unemployment; they could easily fall into poverty.

I am ashamed as a nation that we are not taking care of our people. I love our country and know that we can do better than this. So just know Mr Boehner we are watching all of our politicians closely, and we are not buying into your sound bites!

Boehner just like Bush doesn't get it. Big corporations are outsourcing jobs as fast as they can. Corp taxes have been cut just like the rest of Bush's rich friends. Large American corporations have an mail address in the Cayman (sp?) Islands for a tax shelter. Why shouldn't things be good on Wall Street? The rest of us don't get tax cuts and tax shelters. We have to pay. I don't know what is more corrupt, American Business, Bush, the Congress, or the American media for letting them get by with this.
Why not post a list of the 12,000 + companies that have a mailing address on the Cayman Islands. That is on Church Street. How appropriate is that???

"Boehner adds that America is fighting in Iraq for the right reasons and that there is no other option but to stay the course and ultimately win. The war in Iraq has kept the homeland safe from terror, he says. "I truly believe that that's kept the battle off of our land." Osama Bin Laden is the one who is planning the attacks on the USA, and he is not in Iraq. The Iraq terrorists are into IEDs and local activities, not activities across the globe.

"Boehner posits that the administration and Republicans are getting "no credit" for the good economy "?!? Where exactly is the good economy located? This shows you how out of touch our elected officials are. When you send a person to Washington to act on your behalf and their health insurance is fully paid, pension is taken care of and so forth..how exactly does this elected official keep in touch with the average American at that point who is living paycheck to paycheck. Toss in that our political system allows lobbying which on face value sounds like a good idea but our elected officials show how corrupted that can turn out to be. Out of touch? How else can it be explained that they wouldn't even pass legislation to bar all gifts from lobbyists..these guys couldn't even stop and think for minute about how their actions look to American citizens. The average worker can't accept gifts and whatnot at their workplace, what makes these guys think they can? Oh, that's right, greed..Its what Washington runs on.

I don't think anxiety clouds our perception of what happens in Washington. If anything, it motivates us to more closely scrutinize the politicians there.