Being Boehmer

John A. Boehner showed he was capable of infusing three odious attitudes into this Feb. 15 sound bite: “Over the last two years, since President Obama has taken office, the federal government has added 200,000 new federal jobs. And if some of those jobs are lost in this, so be it. We’re broke.”

Our current speaker of the House is accused of lying about those 200,000 jobs and sheds no tears - his specialty, remember? - over lost jobs, but what’s really incredulous is his claim that “we’re broke.” He broke the national bank, along with most of his cronies in Congress and the former Bush administration. What’s more, they could save programs under the “human services” label by raising taxes on the wealthy.

Thank the filibuster and the Senate’s composition. The Democratic majority last December sought to restore higher tax rates for couples earning more than $250,000 yearly, but the filibuster process blocked it.

When the framers devised the Constitution, they authorized each state to send two representatives to the Senate while the House of Representatives was apportioned on a proportionate basis. James Madison and other delegates staunchly argued for proportionate representation in both houses.

They ultimately signed the completed version of the Constitution and Madison even defended the Senate composition in the Federalist Papers. He changed his position for one reason only - there would be no Constitution if he did not accept the Connecticut Compromise which mandated the split system.

Delegates from three small states demanded equal representation, or there would be no Constitution. Two of those states - New Jersey and Maryland - are now big states and the third, Delaware, shares the same moderate to liberal ideology prevalent in the Northeast.

The Constitution likewise authorized each chamber to set its own rules. The Senate adopted the filibuster after Vice President Aaron Burr chided the Senate for failing to allow an adequate amount of debate. Ultimately, the Senate filibuster permitted a minority of senators to block action on bills. A filibuster could only be stopped by a 60-vote measure for cloture.

George W. Bush entered the White House with a comfortable surplus and produced a colossal deficit before leaving the White House. In between, the United States invaded Afghanistan and Iraq and slashed taxes for the wealthy.

We are currently stuck in Iraq and Afghanistan and we cannot be sure when the military can leave either country. In December 2010, Democrats in Congress sought to revive higher tax rates for the wealthy, but Senate Republicans used the filibuster to maintain the lower tax rates.

Boehner never complained. He must share the blame now that “we’re broke.” So be it.