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Congress Wasted Valuable Time On Clemens Hearings

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 16, 2008

Better Things To Do

Regarding "He Said, He Said" (front page, Feb. 14):

God help us. This country is fighting wars in two places in the world. The national debt is at an all-time high. We are told a recession is looming. Homes are being foreclosed on, and the economy is in the tank.

Our Congress has nothing to do but spend time and money to see if a multimillionaire baseball player stuck a needle in his butt. When are we going to make these people take care of America's problems?

GILBERT Y. ELLIS

Tampa

He Doesn't Care

Our economy is on the verge of recession, the real estate market is crashing, our porous borders cannot stop illegal immigration, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan rage on, there is a genocide going on in Darfur, and the U.S. Congress is worried about whether Roger Clemens used steroids and whether Bill Belichick stole defensive signals. Are you kidding me? Even as a huge sports fan, I don't care!

This simply proves that or current congressional members are incapable or unwilling to tackle the real issues. Next election, please remember this when you enter the voting booth.

PHILIP HEITLINGER

Tampa

It's Baseball's Business

"What possible use do we have for a blowhard Congress that ducks every critical issue that impacts all our economic and personal well-being in favor of putting on silly shows designed to create television ratings for its own members?"

Matt Towery hit the nail on the head with his article on townhall.com.

Let baseball and the public take care of this mess. What is the government doing wasting their time with it? Congress has more important fish to fry. They are such a useless bunch of fools.

JOHN HUTCHISON

Tampa

Wasting Valuable Time

Like many other Americans, I watched the congressional hearings concerning baseball pitcher Roger Clemens. I hope as many other citizens who watched now wonder, as I do, what the heck our Congress is doing wasting valuable time on this subject when we have the Iraq war, the economy, health care, terrorism and so many other important issues facing us all today.

Henry Waxman should be immediately impeached for dereliction of duty. I am a registered independent so I'm not prejudiced. But his attitude and grandstanding made me ill. We should all let our elected representatives know we consider this a total waste of time.

JACK KAUFFMAN

Sun City Center

We're In Big Trouble

The country is in a recession, and your front-page story is whether a sports person took drugs. If your readers really care, we are in big trouble.

SAM PETTY

Odessa

Not Part Of Their Job

Forty members of Congress are holding hearings into whether baseball players used steroids. Why?

With the economy and mortgages and so many other important issues, why are 40 congressional members devoted to hearings on steroid use? How many times have we heard that Congress ended their sessions without resolving an issue because they ran out of time? What is the average rate of pay of a member of Congress, times 40, times the number of days these hearings will last?

I think it's time we all wrote our congressmen and told them this isn't what we are paying them for. It is so easy to do given the access to e-mail.

DONNA SAURET

Apollo Beach

Try Looking Within

I see where Sen. Arlen Spector is determined to continue his probe into the NFL for the destruction of the files and tapes of the New England Patriots. Why, I ask? Fines were given to the head coach and the team, end of story. The commissioner did his job. So why does the senator need to escalate this matter?

The senator does not need to spend taxpayers' money on private issues like the NFL. Why don't you look into the Senate or House if you have the need to probe?

WILLIAM McGUIRE

Valrico

Allow FISA To Sunset

Regarding "President, Congress Face Off Over FISA" (Nation/World, Feb. 15):

What a bunch of hypocrites our Congress members are. They care more about a couple of over-the-hill athletes possibly taking some "performance-enhancing" drugs than protecting the rights of American citizens. They care more about protecting the illegal activities of telecom companies than living up to their oath of office, which demands they uphold the Constitution.

Maybe instead of opening congressional sessions with prayers, sessions should be opened with readings of the Bill of Rights. FISA must be allowed to sunset.

RICHARD FORMICA

Tampa

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