R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Aretha Franklin probably said it best:

What you want
Baby, I got what you need
Do you know I got it?
All I'm askin' is for a little respect when you come home..

Like so many of our elected representatives these days, Sheila Jackson-Lee, a congresswoman from Texas and most recently a sponsor of an almost-interminable congressional resolution to laud Michael Jackson and request that there be a moment of silence to honor his passing. Her admiration and love for the entertainer wasn't limited to merely drafting this resolution, it also included a pilgrimage out to Los Angeles where she attended and spoke at his memorial service held in the Staples Center..

..presumably, at taxpayer's expense.

So now, during her vacation, she's holding town hall meetings to hear her constituents' objections to the health care bill the government is trying to foist off on all of us. Does she listen attentively? You be the judge.

Boy, this is rich! Firstly, the cell phone etiquette speaks volumes about our society in general. Polite people nevah take a call when engaged in a face-to-face conversation with another. It is rube and dismissive and speaks volumes about that person's regard for the person in his or her presence. But more importantly, the guy bringing up the Tuskegee experiment was right on target about trusting the government and the congresswoman immediately launches into a tap dance about how she did what she does best: sponsoring a resolution denouncing this.

Hello?

The point is, we do not want the government insinuating themselves into our lives in the future and not wasting our money decrying past heinous acts they were complicit in to the extent that it takes them away from their principle responsibilities...

..and - here's a novel concept - we'd like them to listen to us since we're paying their salaries and fronting the tab for the jets they're flying on.

Here's Congressman Clyburn of South Carolina, catching a few Z's while his constituents pour out their hearts about their medical woes and their concerns.

Hey, it was a tough night.

Yeah, I definitely think Ms Franklin nailed it:

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Take care, TCB

(Hat tip to Ed Morrissey and AllahPundit of Hot Air for the original story.)