My Congressman: Steny Hoyer

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I first encountered Congressman Steny Hoyer when I worked for a grocery chain and he attended the grand opening of one our stores. I wasn't very impressed. That was a good twenty years or so ago. He really hasn't done much in my mind to change my opinion of him, especially after two stories that I read over the last day or so.

During his weekly news conference on Tuesday, a reporter from CNSNews.com asked if Hoyer supported a pledge stating that Representatives should read the entire bill before voting on it and having the bill available to the public for 72 hours before voting on it. Hoyer's response was to laugh. CNSNews quotes Hoyer, "If every member pledged not to vote for it if they hadn't read it in its entirety, I think we would have very few votes." I put that kind of attitude right up there with Harry Reid not wanting to ready any of Sonya Sotomayor's legal opinions before deciding if she is fit to be a Supreme Court Justice. Our leaders in action.

The second story involving Hoyer may be a bit more troublesome. ABC News reported that a Maryland firm, Smartronix, received an $18 million contract to re-design the Recovery.gov website that is to track the stimulus spending. In addition, since 2000, Smartronix has won $260 million in other government contracts. So what does that have to do with Hoyer? The leaders of Smartronix have given $19000 towards Hoyer's election campaigns. There is no record of anybody from Smartronix donating to any other campaign. A spokesman for Hoyer has told the Washington Examiner had no involvement in awarding the contract to Smartronix.

It probably won't come as a surprise, but I have never voted for Congressman Hoyer. I can't see any conceivable possibility where I could bring myself to pull the lever for him.

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