Principles sacrificed to pass budget: #tellusatoday

Letters to the editor:

Did I just hear the sound of congressional self-congratulation because lawmakers managed to pass next year's budget? They pieced together major funding at the expense of rolling back restraints on major banks to manipulate our economic future. Wall Street is laughing all the way to the bank.

Since the early 1990s, we have experienced several economic downturns. Each time jobs are lost, futures ruined, families go deeper in debt, and no one responsible for the downturn spends a minute in jail.

Once upon a time, America valued integrity. Now, too many of us claim to be the rugged individual, the bootstrap success. We say we don't like to follow but, in fact, love our trends (housing prices and other factors on the rise).

I guess market forces, with the help of income realignment, will always win.

I applaud the members of the House and Senate who voted no. What took you so long to find your backbone?

Randolph A. Cate; Vancouver, Wash.

Congress has had all year to formulate and pass a federal spending budget. Instead of being in session for most of the year, this crew goes off on junket trips at taxpayer expense or doing who knows what.

So, what did they do? They waited until the last minute to act on this spending framework, while inserting little goodies in this legislation for special interests. They act no better than a bunch of rookies!

Earl Beal; Terre Haute, Ind.

Comments from Twitter and Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

USA TODAY's editorial describes how a provision was sneaked into the spending bill passed by Congress that increases the limit for individual campaign contributions to political parties. This action involves both sides of the aisle feeding at the trough, and it's disgusting. The provision didn't even see the light of day for any form of public debate.

That's what makes it appear like such a backdoor deal, and the fact that it was bipartisan does even further damage to Capitol Hill's already tattered reputation.

— Michael Anthony Shea

I am disappointed in the trillion dollar spending bill, half of which I have no idea where it is going or to whom.

— @62jerseygirl

Once again, another bill not read.

— @edwardw37409093

More and more voters' choices are coming down to who do we want to run our country: the millionaires who buy the Republican politicians or the millionaires who buy the Democratic politicians?

— Bob Rejefski

One man's compromise is another man's bowing down to Wall Street.

— @thomas_elness

Getting re-elected is the primary concern of nearly all of our government representatives. This is a formula for no progress in the struggle for fiscal responsibility.

Ultrapartisan politics and gridlock arise more from the activities of our elected officials in trying to get re-elected than from deep-seated ideological differences.

— Joe Speaks

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