Fox News points out Democrats’ recurrent use of a colorful phrase to criticize Republicans who highlighted the absurdity of passing a 1,071 page stimulus bill without enough time to read the minutiae.

Fox quotes Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Florida):

“”Even if they had read every jot and tittle, they still ain’t gonna vote for it,” Hastings huffed, referring to Republicans standing foursquare in unanimous opposition against the first draft of the stimulus plan in late January. And they were poised to follow suit again for the final bill.

Republicans continued to crow about not reading the bill after the House okayed the measure Friday afternoon. That’s when House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., used the phrase too, asserting the public supported the legislation, even if they weren’t familiar with the particulars.

“Not that they knew every jot and tittle,” Hoyer said.”

The report cites “jot and tittle” from the Gospel of Matthew:

“Taking more time can certainly diminish mistakes. But it will take people days to truly excavate everything that’s in this bill. That’s one of the reasons Republicans groused when Democrats ignored a non-binding vote to give the House a two-day pause between finishing the legislation and voting on it.

In the Bible, Matthew 5:18 states that “One jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law until all is fulfilled.””

We found another New Testament reference:

“It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” –Luke 16:17.

Dictionary.com offers this definition for “jot”:

“or Iota, the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet, used metaphorically or proverbially for the smallest thing; or it may be = yod, which is the smallest of the Hebrew letters”

It defines “tittle” as:

“A small diacritic mark, such as an accent, vowel mark, or dot over an i.”

And:

“a point, the minute point or stroke added to some letters of the Hebrew alphabet to distinguish them from others which they resemble; hence, the very least point.”

I think we can all agree, the $787 billion price tag is neither a jot, nor a tittle.