It amazes me when I read news articles like this. Especially when this country is in the worst economic situation since the 30s. There are more people unemployed now then anyone alive can probably remember.

With regards to the partisanship/bipartisanship, I am curious how many of those on the hill would be willing to work together to get this figured out if those on the hill started getting laid off.

No, maybe the solution this is back to the idea of term limits for congress. No more of that 5, 10, or even 20 years in office. I think those people tend to lose touch with reality. Send them down to live in a car for a while...or let them stand in a food line.

Then I think you might see a little better working relationships.

Hello people...vote for people who are going to work for you...not tell you what they think is best. Especially since they are living high on the hog !

I want to see a "right of recall" clause put in. A sort of "vote of no confidence" thing where if the people of a state feel that their representatives are sucking they can replace them.

Give them one year safe so that at least you can see what they are going to do (most legislation takes that long to take effect anyway), and then after that the gloves are off. Not working for your district's or your state's best interests..then you're no longer working for that district or state. Simple, effective, and it ought to put the will of the voters back where it belong..front and center in the minds of elected officials.

That might actually work, so you know it isn't going to pass. We don't seem to remember for an entire 2-4 years who we should be voting for or against anyway.

I agree! The Republican vote was all about politics not about the good of the people. The are likely to vote against anything that may take money out of their pockets and put it into the pockets of the people who make this great country what it is. The everyday Joes and the working population line their pockets. If all of us quit working, where would they be? They should all have to walk in our shoes. They would not make it a month!

Let them try to see a doctor without insurance or financial means, and see if they come out of it healthy. Let them try to live on $845 a month.

They are being childish. It looks like they are sending the message that they are going to create havoc just because the Democrats took over. It is their first political statement. It is not likely to change any time down the road, I predict they are going to vote no more often!

I find it interesting that when it was the Shrub pushing government bailouts for private companies the majority of democrats and republicans supported it. Now that the Chosen One is in charge the republicans are suddenly pretending to be conservatives again. Of course the Messiah's plan isn't so much a "stimulous package" as it is a way to get funding for many of his campaign promises.

Those of you who see your side as "good" and the other side as "evil" need to quit watching the propaganda wing of the government (MSNBC, FOX NEWS, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and the rest of the main media outlets) and start thinking for yourselves. You need to realize your government is NOT looking out for your best interest. Not the democrats nor the republicans. The government is only interested in increasing it's size and power at the expense of our freedom and economy.

Anyone who supports the creation of TARP to "bailout" Wall Street or the Savior's plan to nationalize the banks and the auto and healthcare industries is anti-American. Scream about how this is not true all you want. But facts are facts. America was founded on a free market based economy. That economic model allowed America to become the most successful nation the world has ever seen. The farther away from a free market system and the closer we get to communism, socialism and marxism the worse the long term damage to what is currently still the U.S.A. will be. If all these "bailouts" and "stimulous packages" are passed and implemented they may as well change the name of this country to the U.S.S.A. (United Socialist States of America). They probably will when America is absorbed into the coming global government. Of course Canada, Mexico and the U.S.S.A. will collectively be known as the North American Union. Much like the European Union, African Union, South American Union, Southeast Asia Union, South Pacific Union, Asia Union, Mid-east (or Arab) union and a few other collective "unions" that I can't remember the name of. Welcome to the New World Order.