Do Health Care Reformers Fear A Reading Public?

The following op-ed by Sen. Cornyn and Benjamin E. Sasse was posted on Forbes, and can also be accessed here.

Working Americans, who have seen billions of their hard-earned dollars squandered on the financial and auto bailouts, no longer believe Washington deserves the benefit of the doubt. After the frantic rush to pass an economic stimulus package less than 24 hours after it was written, only a small fraction of the dollars have been spent in the subsequent seven months. While Washington guaranteed the stimulus bill would keep unemployment below 8%, one in 10 Americans are now struggling to find jobs. Washington promised to cut the deficit in half, yet budget officials project we will actually add more than $9 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.

Asking if Washington's rhetoric matches the reality of what the bills say is not only the right but the responsibility of an engaged, educated citizenry. Beltway insiders do not seem to realize that average Americans no longer take politicians' vague promises at face value. FULL STORY