On Friday Congress passed a $787 billion so-called stimulus bill that is, according to Sen. John McCain R-Ariz, “nothing short—nothing short—of generational theft.” Larry Summers, a former Clinton administration Treasury secretary said in an appearance on “NBC's Today show, “It is the biggest fiscal expansion in our country's history.”

This means we are saddling our children and grandchildren with a burden of debt whose end we cannot foresee—since, with interest, this bill alone, will be over $1.3 trillion—this on top of the trillion dollar “bailout” bill passed late last year.

Both the House and Senate earlier had passed a version of the stimulus bill, then had to confer in conference to come up together with the version of the bill passed Friday.

It was 1,073 pages and was posted online a little before 11:00 p.m. Thursday night, with major changes from the earlier version. Apparently an astonishing 104 government programs will be created or expanded through this legislation.

To pass a bill of this magnitude with so little analysis, one put together behind closed doors in conference without transparency, and no opportunity to read until the last minute, is staggeringly irresponsible.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) acknowledged, "I don't think anyone will have the chance to [read the entire bill]."

Congressman Tom Price, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, demonstrates in this Youtube video why no member of Congress could have digested the new conference version of the over 1,073 page “stimulus” bill in the few hours it was available to them before they voted.

This vote also broke the vow made Tuesday that Congress and the public would have at least 48 hours to look at the bill. Even if that had happened, 48 hours was an impossible number.

Feulner's Open Letter to Congress and the President of the United States

Edwin J. Feulner, president of the Heritage Foundation wrote of the bill in an open letter. You'll notice he gives a different number of pages for the bill. That's because upon until passage yesterday, the numbers kept changing:

“For the last 35 years, educators and analysts at The Heritage Foundation have been intimately involved in the nation's great public policy debates. In all that time, we have never encountered legislation with such far-reaching and revolutionary policy implications as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act currently before Congress. And never have we seen a bill more cloaked in secrecy or more withdrawn from open public exposure and honest debate.

“In addition to being the single most expensive bill ever proposed, this measure calls for a massive expansion of the federal government's reach into the day-to-day life of virtually every citizen, business and civic organization in the nation. That, in itself, should be the subject of an extensive public conversation and thoughtful debate. Instead, we have seen Congressional leaders schedule snap votes on a 1,434-page bill that no one—repeat, no one—has had a chance to read in its entirety, much less digest and deliberate.

“ This bill has been advertised as an economic stimulus bill—despite the fact that the Congressional Budget Office estimates it will actually weaken our nation's long-term economic growth . While the stimulative utility of the bill is, at best, questionable, it would unquestionably rewrite the social contract between the American people and their government. For example:

“The list goes on. These and similar provisions will mean fundamental changes in our society. In many instances, the bill would establish policies that directly challenge widely held American values.

“We are appalled that Congress is even contemplating such profound changes with so little openness and due diligence. In the past, major policy changes in our welfare system, or health care, or trade policies, etc., were always, quite properly, preceded by extensive public conversation and full debate. That is how a democracy should make important decisions.

The failure of Congress and the Administration to allow that debate is damaging to our democracy. To read the entire letter click here.