By doing so you only dig the hole deeper; you further evidence the increasingly common belief that is quickly solidifying as fact that politicians are utterly incapable of speaking the truth.

The day after you voted on the spending bill referred to as a stimulus package, I emailed you and asked, “Did you actually read the bill before you voted for it?”

That was a simple question.  It was a one-sentence email that could hardly be misunderstood.

I quote here your response and highlight at my pleasure.

Thank you for contacting me about the economic stimulus package. I appreciate hearing your views.

The American people are hurting. They are losing their homes, their jobs, their businesses and their life savings. Economists across the political spectrum agree that the government needs to take bold and immediate action to stimulate the economy and curb the risk of a protracted economic recession.

I believe that the government has to do something to get us out of this economic tailspin – and doing nothing isn’t an option. I voted for the economic stimulus package because I believe it is narrowly targeted to spend and invest in ways that will get the economy moving again. It invests in our infrastructure, creating badly needed jobs, and provides critical tax relief to businesses and middle-class Americans. It also shores up unemployment benefits and food stamps, provides aid to seniors and disabled veterans, and invests in our children through 21st Century education. The bill improves access to health care, and promotes energy independence.

I’ve read the entire stimulus bill and I believe it will preserve and create millions of good-paying jobs, help States like Florida manage budget shortfalls, and advance our infrastructure to meet modern demands. Congress passed the bill on February 13, and President Obama has now signed it into law.

Unfortunately, there has been a lot of misinformation and inaccurate reporting on this legislation. The stimulus bill does nothing to “socialize” medicine. In fact, it does three things that really help people. First, it lowers the cost of insurance for people who lose their jobs. Second, it gives more money to States to cover medical care for low-income Americans and the uninsured through the Medicaid program. And third, it provides federal funding for the development and use of electronic health records to help doctors and hospitals be more efficient.

Based on what I hear from folks across Florida, it’s clear that we need to fix the problems caused by this economic crisis. But we must take care with taxpayer money. Last year I voted against spending $700 billion to bail out Wall Street because the bill lacked meaningful relief for homeowners facing foreclosure and didn’t include adequate protections for American taxpayers. I remain committed to reducing wasteful spending and improving transparency in Federal funding. And once we have returned to prosperity, I remain equally committed to tackling our burgeoning Federal deficit.

I appreciate your comments as they help me serve you better in the Senate, and I look forward to hearing from you should you have any future concerns.

First of all, Senator, I offered no views, only a question.  You might want to refrain from spewing out boilerplate crap.  It makes you look disingenuous.

Second, I didn’t ask if you had read the bill by now.  I asked if you had read it before you voted on it.  That was a test, Senator, and you failed it miserably.  We both know no human could possibly have read the bill in the time you rushed it through the process.  I knew you hadn’t read it because you could not have.  It was humanly impossible.  But you feel the need to lie your way out of answering the question honestly by changing the question.  I hope the dealership takes your car as a trade-in, because no citizen should chance buying a used car from you.

Third, I offered no comments, only a one-sentence question.  I could give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you mean that you will appreciate my comments in the future, but considering the previous two points I’ve made, I am not inclined to do so.  In fact, I flat out accuse you of once again taking me for a fool and throwing that boilerplate crap at me again.

Senator, you are a liar.