Leaders Have Rediscovered Public Service

Updated 4/14/08 I have corrected the toll-free number for the Capitol Switchboard near the end of this post.

I never thought I’d live to see Congress and the White House agree on anything. Most of our leaders now seem to agree that helping troubled homeowners is in the best interest of our country as a whole.

The Democratic candidates for president recently unveiled their housing plans. Sen. John McCain, who most likely will represent the Republican Party in the presidential race, revealed his plan today.

Though the Senate, House, and White House must work out the differences between their recommendations, our leaders seem to have remembered that they are public servants, and that the U.S. Constitution allows them to make decisions that “promote the general welfare.”

The plans differ in how many homeowners will be covered, what other groups will receive help, and what help each group will receive. We are quite fortunate that this crisis escalated in an election year, or I suspect little, if anything, would be done to address it.

Don’t let these people forget that they work for us. After developing an informed opinion, contact the White House comments line at 202-456-1111 or your senators and representative at 800-839-5279 or 202-224-3121 to voice your opinion.