Letter To The Feds

I just sent this to my congressman and both senators. I wonder if it will have any effect at all.
- - - - - - - -
For the last couple of decades the federal government has taken steps to rule the lives of the very citizens that pay their salaries. The government has grown and grown by sucking the fruits of labor from the citizens, and at the same time taken steps to make those same citizens more dependant on government through entitlements and allowing illegal immigration. The government now wants to control everything.

Entitlements reward the unsuccessful and punish hard workers. Income taxes that are intended to shift the burden towards those that can more afford it do exactly the same thing. Graduated income taxes and entitlement programs do not help anyone but the lazy. They tend to kill individual ambition, and therefore actually hurt our society.

The people of the EU have social programs and business restrictions that our federal government seems to be striving to attain. Our economy and quality of life long ago surpassed that found in the EU, and not in spite of past small government but because of it. Societies with large controlling governments have consistently failed throughout history, and are doing so today. Socialism, or its close cousin communism, as well as fascism have and will always fall behind progress and quality of life that is the result of capitalism. When left alone, free from government meddling, capitalism and the free market has been and will always be self correcting. Sometimes businesses MUST fail for the good of all.

Our healthcare “system” is not broke. It is not a system in the true sense. If I recall my history correctly what we have today is the unintended consequences of past federal meddling. At one time there was a nationwide pay freeze. The only way for business to entice new employees was to offer benefits other than pay. Since employees didn’t immediately see the actual cost of office visits and other services they increasingly took advantage and the demand increased. As demand increases, so does cost when the supply stays relatively constant. And medical schools have certainly done their best to keep the supply down. To decrease the cost of healthcare, put the spending control directly in the hands of those that use it.

If the federal government gets involved in healthcare or any other private business there’s no doubt quality will suffer because the competition will be killed. Independent business in this industry can not compete against an entity that does not even need to break even. It can always just suck more money from the taxpayers. People travel here from other countries and Canada has black market clinics for a reason.

If I ran my personal business like the federal government is running the country, I’d be living in a cardboard box by now. In fact if the government continues on its present course, that may actually happen to me and especially my children. The taxes I’m expected to pay are rising regardless what anyone says, and there’s inflation on the way that will make us wish for the Carter years.

There are federal bills that reportedly raise taxes in a very underhanded way. The taxes are on businesses that will either destroy the business or be passed on down to the consumer. We’re not all stupid you know. I can not afford it. I’ve already lowered my lifestyle by cutting spending. I haven’t had a pay increase in 14 months, and I’m told that there won’t be any increases for another 12 months. With the increasing cost of living I’m effectively getting a cut in pay, and I’m supposed to pay more taxes so the government can spend more?

A year and a half ago I was on track to be able to retire at the age of 70 without any government entitlements. That was planned because I know my FICA is actually paying for the older generation because of government actions, and there’s not enough younger to pay mine. The government meddling in the mortgage market with the following collapse of the world economy has put a spike in those plans. Now I’ll be working as long as I can or until I die, which ever comes first. And that’s because government can’t leave things alone. The more government gets involved, the worse it gets.

In the colonial days a small percentage of subjects decided they had enough of being controlled by an oppressive government. A few brave men, with help from the French, revolted and formed a new country composed of citizens and a limited government. That government has become ever more controlling since. We’ve reached a point where the federal government is becoming oppressive again.

I cannot and will not vote for anyone that supports new and/or increasing entitlement programs, increasing any taxes, increasing spending, promotes government intervention and/or control of any private sector business in any manner. If you want my vote then keep government out of our lives. Stop social engineering. Reduce spending. Leave private businesses alone. Reduce taxes. Stay out of the economy and let it work. Stop borrowing and printing more money. We’re already so far in the hole that I can’t see the top. Reduce federal agencies. They’re just an underhanded form of fascism. Ignore global warming. It’s a lie. The constitution is not a living document. It’s a contract between The People and the government, and the government has been breaching that contract. The second amendment is not about sport or hunting.

The Republican Party did not loose so many elections because The Democratic Party was a better choice. That happened because The People have developed an overall dislike of our government in general. Both parties have shifted left. The hope was that a change, any change, would be better. That has proved to be a false hope. The People are at a low boil. Turn down the heat.

- - - - - - -
Here's one response. 7/1/09
- - - - - -

Thank you for expressing your concerns over government spending.I support the targeted spending contained in the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Fiscal Year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill.

It is crucial that we get money into the pockets of Americans. We are facing an economic crisis the likes of which has not been seen in decades. Americans are in desperate need of jobs. The recently passed spending bills will create or protect millions of jobs. When individuals have jobs, they can then spend money and help spur our capitalist economy.

However, I agree with you that the government has a responsibility to address the ballooning federal deficit. When President Bush began his first term, he inherited a federal budget surplus of $236 billion from President Clinton. President Obama inherited a nearly $1.3 trillion budget deficit from President Bush. The national debt stood at $5.8 trillion when President Bush took office, and now it is close to $12 trillion. I support President Obama's goal to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term.

If you have specific suggestions or thoughts on how to improve our economy, I would be glad to hear them.

Thank you again for being in touch with my office.

Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
United States Senator
- - - - - -
I have serious doubts that Brown saw what I sent. I'm sure a staff member sent a predetermined reply.

Clinton's surplus was mostly due to large cuts in defense spending and book keeping games. Ever heard of 9/11? The other deficite spending was largely the result of 9/11.

Spending our way out of the "great depression" did not work then. What makes anyone think it will work now?

Reducing the deficite will require increased taxes, because spending will obviously not decrease, and that actually takes money out of peoples pockets.