Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has done something many of us wish Senators would do more often -- propose to tell the truth. Lautenberg has filed an amendment to change the official name of the "Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act 2005" to the "Moral Disaster of Monumental Proportion Reconciliation Act."

Lautenberg said "Let's call this bill what it is -- a moral disaster." And that it certainly is. His amendment probably won't pass, but I think many of us appreciate his attempt to call the bill as it is, as opposed to trying to disguise it as an attempt at fiscal responsibility.

Speaking of morals, religious leaders descended on Capitol Hill yesterday to express their indignation over proposed cuts in the budget, and four found themselves face to face with Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL), whom they engaged in conversation (or as witnesses said, "gave him an earful"). The clergy lost no time telling the Speaker that the proposed $35 billion to $50 billion in cuts to social programs was immoral.

They said, "Congress has been actively targeting the poor and the middle class since the hurricane. At the very time when the Congress should have been increasing the number of social programs, we find they have decimated them. It is simply morally unjustifiable." They also quoted the Bible, and suggested Congress was in the position of asking Jesus, "when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?" They then told Hastert that Congress is not taking care of the 37 million people below the poverty line. According to witnesses, Hastert responded with "grunts and comments" to the clergy's questions, but pictures indicate he was calm and gracious.