Congress, Berate Yourself As Well

To The Editor:
Congress recently held media-covered hearings berating Tony Hayward, the CEO of BP. Thus far in the investigation of this disaster, BP appears to be guilty of a lack of preparation, as well as sloppiness in both drilling and maintaining their well. That coupled with no preplanning to effectively handle unforeseen disasters resulted in obscene amounts of oil pouring daily into the Gulf of Mexico, a horrific situation.
But, before these self-aggrandizing hearings and before Barrack Obama boasted of his meeting with Hayward to insist BP set up a fund to cover the costs of this disaster, BP had publicly and often apologized. The company had also publicly pledged to be here and to pay for all clean up, loss of business and jobs, property damage and other costs incurred to restore the geographic areas and the Americans so badly wounded by this nightmare. So, both that meeting and the Congressional hearings had only one purpose, to give the President and Congress a very public way to try to look effective in resolving this crisis. They failed because it is blatantly obvious that they are as unprepared as BP to resolve the immediate problem, to stop the oil pouring into the Gulf.
On Mon., June 14, former Sen. Rick Santorum provided real, factual information to enlighten Americans about another horrific situation, the disaster foisted on all Americans by the recent health-care laws. After they were passed, hidden facts were released. Those facts enabled American companies, the chief actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Congressional Budget Office to provide the laws’ true costs and their effects on our health care.
The truth is terrifying. Companies anticipate billions of dollars in additional health-care costs, which they will be forced either to pass on to their employees or to reduce or even to eliminate workers’ health care benefits. Costs will now go up for Medicare and Medicaid services. The CBO estimates the cost to enforce this sick joke over the next 10 years will be at least $115 billion more than anticipated. The President, who swore he would not sign any bill that would increase the deficit, and that his plan would reduce the deficit by $100 billion over the next 10 years, lied.
The President and Congress withheld facts and deceived us before they forced these laws on us. Although it is needed and deserved, do not expect the President and Congress to strenuously berate themselves in a public forum.
It is up to all Americans to do it for them. Vote them out in November and make this a paralyzed, lame duck Administration that cannot force additional destructive laws on us.
Vote them out in 2012 and return America to Americans who want to strengthen and build our country, unlike those now in office that are hell bent on destroying her.
KATHLEEN DYNAN
Cape May