To the nation, and to the other members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation who did their duty by opposing the oil refinery subsidy/environmental destruction bill in the House, which infamously passed by a 2-vote margin after DeLay and co. were able to twist some arms: We're sorry about our absent three congressmen.
On the final major vote before Congress took its 10-day Columbus
holiday recess, House Republican leaders pushed through a bill that
would promote construction of oil refineries by easing the
environmental review process.
...Six Republicans and six Democrats missed the vote. Three of those
Democrats were from Massachusetts. And the three who were absent --
Representatives William D. Delahunt of Quincy, Richard Neal of
Springfield, and John Olver of Amherst -- have the lowest voting
percentages of the state's 10-member House delegation.
Read the article. They don't have good excuses. Delahunt has one of the lowest voting attendance records in the House, and was in Mexico. Olver was already on vacation. Neal "attended a funeral that morning, as well as the investiture of a college president in Chicopee later."
Congressmen: If you're not going to do your jobs by casting critical votes on important matters, you need to step aside. Period.