Economics

Mayors from 25 Florida cities and towns have issued a letter to leaders in the United States Congress and to the members of the Florida congressional delegation, urging passage of the jobs plan.

Faced with high unemployment, home foreclosures, and struggling businesses in their communities, the 25 mayors called upon Congress to set aside its partisan wrangling and pass the jobs plan legislation.

“We cannot wait any longer. It is time for Congress to act now by passing the jobs plan,” wrote the mayors in their letter to Congress. “This should not be a partisan issue. As the President has mentioned, the proposals in the jobs plan have been supported by both Democrats and Republicans.”

“Our cities’ residents want statesmanship, not partisanship, in Congress,” said Tallahassee Mayor John Marks, who initiated the letter and asked his mayoral colleagues to become signatories. “We must rise above party politics and do what is right for the country.”

“The rhetoric and inaction must come to an end,” the mayors wrote. “Our nation has a cherished history of rising to challenges and conquering them with determined resolve. It is time for us to follow in that tradition.”

The letter from the Florida mayors is below and attached.

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This week, we’ll see Congress vote on three so-called “trade agreements.” Did you ever wonder why they call them “trade agreements”? So that they don’t have to call them what they actually are – treaties.

Under our Constitution, a “Bill” requires the approval of a majority of both Houses of Congress and the President’s assent, or an override of the President’s veto. But under Article II, Section 2, Clause 2, a “Treaty” requires “the Advice and Consent of the Senate . . . provided two thirds of the Senators present concur.”

The Powers That Be know that these “trade agreements” couldn’t get the support of two-thirds of the Senate. In fact, they probably couldn’t get past a filibuster. So they just renamed them. They’re not treaties, they’re just “trade agreements.”

But they sure look like treaties, don’t they? They are agreements between our government and a foreign government. That’s a treaty.

If it looks like a duck, and it walks like a duck . . . and it quacks . . . it’s a duck.

But they don’t care. They can’t get the two-thirds that they need in the Senate, so they’ll just pretend that they don’t need it.