Letter to Speaker Pelosi & Majority Leader Reid

I write to you, as the Speaker of the House (Majority Leader of the Senate), because I am very concerned that the vision first articulated by President Obama is being lost because Congress cannot address the major issues of reform of financial institutions, health care reform, economic stimulus, and a global warming treaty in a way that makes sense to the American public. I realize that your job is most difficult. I admit that you are working to achieve some sort of consensus at least within the Democratic caucus. However, the way things are working out, it looks like politics is essentially ruining a vision of change.

I realize that no bill has actually passed either chamber at this point. However, it does look that the political interests of those in Congress to ensure their political survival seems to be the driving force that is shaping the legislation. I fear that the 2010 elections will result in the loss of many Democrats only because they failed to deliver on expectations. Maybe Congress has become unmanageable. Maybe the financing of congressional elections is so dependent on lobbyists that it is impossible to legislate to further the interests of the American public. Maybe we are in a downward spiral dating from the 1980's where congress is becoming virtually a series of vested interests with no common goals and vision. Whatever it is, the end result is negative.

I hope that this general vision of Sheila Blair and Elizabeth Warren are incorporated into a set of financial regulations.

I hope that health care reform will, in fact, reform health care!

I hope that there will be evidence that the economic stimulation package does actually produce jobs even if another stimulus bill is required. Surely, there are enough problems in our nation, e.g., our crumbling infrastructure, to warrant the investment.

I hope that a global warming treaty will indicate our nation's seriousness to reform our abuse of carbon.

I appreciate the opportunity to share my views.

Edward Toomey