Draconian - drak-KOHN-yan - overly harsh, too severe
Example: "In the news today the Republican members of Congress rejected Obama's suggested new health plan as Draconian."
As a starter: and as a former teacher in English, I hope to add to reader's vocabulary by presenting a word a day in simple terms that anyone can understand - from current use in publications, radio,TV, etc. Remember: use a new word three times in a day and it's yours forever!