Nebraska Rep. Lee Terry Sings The Very Sorry Song For Liking His Gummint Money So Much

Nebraska congresscritter Lee Terry,* who last week defiantly explained that unlike other people, he  needs his congressional paycheck even during the government shutdown, has seen the light, thanks to the help of the Omaha World-Herald in sharing with the world his belief that he was entitled to full pay because he has "a nice house and a kid in college" that he had to pay for. For some reason, people didn't care for that. And so yesterday, the paper reports, Terry issued an apology:  

“The other day I made a statement that I would put my needs above others in crisis,” Terry said in his Sunday statement. “I'm ashamed of my comments. It was not leadership. It is not how I was raised. It is not the nature of my character. It is not what I want to teach my sons. I apologize for my hurtful remarks when so many others are feeling the pain of Washington's dysfunction.”

Translation: I made it clear just how contemptuous I am of you people, but the Internet Was Not Pleased, so I will make the politically appropriate gesture.

Like his fellow "I Got Mine" House colleague Renee Ellmers from North Carolina, Terry voted for the shutdown, tried to say "I need the moneez," and then responded to the online shitstorm by asking the House to withhold his pay. Unlike several other members of Congress who are donating their pay to charity, both Ellmers and Terry will get their deferred pay once the shutdown ends.

Terry wants everyone to know that now he will be able to empathize with the federal workers who he voted to put out of work:

“I should and will stand in the shoes of the federal civilian employees who are furloughed,” Terry said. “We share the same responsibilities to pay our bills, and if they don't receive a paycheck and must take extraordinary efforts and sacrifice to pay them, then I should, too.”

Unlike other furloughed government workers, of course, Lee Terry has the ability to decide when he and his colleagues will start getting paid again, once they've sufficiently proven whatever point about Obamacare and Freedom and personal responsibility this stupid shutdown is supposed to prove.

* We initially printed his name as "Terry Lee," an error for which we blame our proofreader, Washington Irving.

[ Omaha.com ]