Since Pelosi, things actually got worse

In her triumphant ascendancy to Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi announced things were going to be different.

Many will recall she made lots of promises in those heady days. It might be instructive to pause and consider what has happened in the 15 months or so that the "new team" has had its hands on the reins of government.

Among other things, Wall Street has imploded, home foreclosures have reached record numbers, the economy has tanked, job loss has increased, scores of aircraft have been grounded because of lax FAA safety oversight and gasoline prices have gone through the ceiling.

It is also useful to consider what hasn't changed. Our troops are still in Iraq, the tax code remains a nightmare, we have no new sources of energy, health care solutions remain elusive, illegals continue to stream across our borders and the promised five-day work week for Congress didn't materialize either.

Perhaps there wasn't enough time to address these and other issues because Congress needed to focus instead on the pressing national issue of drug use among the players of Major League baseball.

I suggest we are faced with a situation where no one from either major political party can (or wants to) do much to solve the nation's major problems. And, once again, we know that a politician's promises mean little.

Finding politicians who mean what they say is this year's challenge for us.

Charles F. Falk

Schaumburg