What could be more ridiculous or irresponsible than for members of Congress to vote on a so-called stimulus bill, numbering close to 1,000 pages and involving millions, billions or even trillions of dollars, when only a handful of these congressmen has read the entire bill?

To make it even more disturbing and dangerous, at a time when President Obama has called for, and emphasized, that openness and transparency would be a hallmark of his administration, this legislation was crafted and finalized late Thursday night and early Friday morning with no Republican participation.

How can a member of Congress — Democrat or Republican — vote on such an important matter, one that Obama calls “historic” without knowing what the bill calls for? How can they vote for a historic piece of legislation without having read the bill?

How can they look their constituents in the eye and say they are doing a good, responsible job of representing those who elected them?