Reuters: Senate Dems may drop $50 billion resolution fund - What's wrong with Congress

What's wrong with Congress?  Democrats, Republicans, and the Senate for openers!

This one is a real corker.  So the House passes a bill that provides a $150 billion fund provided by financial institutions that is to be used to allow an orderly closing of financial institutions that are not viable.  You remember bankrupt financial institutions, don't you?  You know, the ones you and I bailed out last year.  So anyway the House passed what is by and large a fairly reasonable start on financial reform.  Not perfect, to be sure, but a reasonable improvement of the mess that the Congress created.

Now here comes the interesting part.  Some Republicans, to wit, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell have, lets call it what it is, lied that the provision will lead to more taxpayer bailouts of financial institutions, never mind that the money comes from the financial institutions not the taxpayers as was most recently the case.  Never mind that it is only used when an institution is being liquidated, not funded to continue in business as was most recently the case.  But there you have it the Right Honorable Mr McConnell doesn't mind a distortion to the point of being an outright lie.

But wait, there's more, under the pressure of this lie, the Right Honorable Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, the main sponsor of the bill, disowned the fund in remarks on the Senate floor on Thursday, saying it was proposed by Republicans.  Now there's the real courage and leadership the country needs from our Senate leaders (they are ours you know, we elect them, we pay them, and, notwithstanding their appalling performance, we pay their retirement).

What's wrong with government?  Need you ask.  Common sense suggests Republicans, Democrats, and, at least in this case, the Senate.