CAFTA Shenanigans.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the Editor)

Possibly you heard the story about the citizen who was concerned about the national debt, so he went to see his congressman to urge him to push for balancing the budget. The congressman looked at him in shocked surprise and said, "I spent 5 million dollars running for a job that pays $125,000 a year, and you are asking me to balance the budget!"

The shenanigans that took place on the floor of the House in the wee hours of July 27/28 in respect to the CAFTA vote ("Vote-buying and Arm-twisting," August 22 issue) resemble the same kind of shenanigans that took place in the U.S. Senate on April 18, 1978 in respect to the Carter/Torrijos Panama Canal Treaties. Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert played the part in the CAFTA "giveaway" that Senator Howard Baker had played in the Panama Canal giveaway approximately 27 years earlier.

For the information of those congressmen who may not recall the history of the Senate Panama Canal giveaway, dig out your history and you will find that of the 67 senators who voted for the treaties, five were defeated in their next primary election, 20 were defeated in their next general election, and eight decided to retire rather than to face "our music." I say "our music" with a bit of pride because as ...