Sen. Ensign's Education

Senator John Ensign, R-Nev., showed the value of a Nevada high school education yesterday when he underestimated the cost of his proposed low-rate mortgage plan by at least $700 billion. If there was ever a perfect argument for increasing funding for education in Nevada, this is it. When a US Senator and his presumably Nevada educated staff can't do the math on his own bill, something needs to be done. And missing the mark by 70% is assuming that Sen, Charles Schumer, D-NY, is any better at math. If you use the numbers attributed to Sen. Ensign of 40 million homeowners saving $400 a month for the next 30 years, my Iowa education comes up with $192 billion per year, or $5.76 trillion over the 30 years. And this does not include the hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees and closing costs that the banks will receive for each mortgage that is rewritten.
On top of this, Sen. Ensign always seems to be behind the curve. Last Fall, when everyone else was trying to pass a housing bill, Ensign was against it. Now, when the focus has moved to a stimulus bill, Ensign is now pushing a housing bill. It's tough to lead when you are constantly trying to catch up.
What Sen. Ensign and other GOP leaders need to recognize is that the American people are not interested in which party is the party of housing or the party of tax relief or the party of spending. We are interested only in people who will find solutions to the problems we are facing and work together to implement those solutions. We need leaders who will check their egos and their labels at the door of Congress and do what is right for the country. And this goes for Democrats as well.