Letter to Christopher Shays, "republican" CT

Wrong is being done. It's getting worse. Socialism stabilizes nothing. It is just a power grab. So, it does not matter what is the best answer for dealing with this country's financial mess (Thank you, ACORN and the 5 million illegals who own homes). It is only about who has power, who is given power.

In the best spirit of the Duma (Russian Parlianment in case you didn't know), you have voted astonishing centralization of financial power. What you don't realize is that increases the chances of catastrophically bad decisions based on wrong premises for how to "stabilize" the financial situation. Paulson and Bernanke do NOT have all the answers, do NOT make all the right decsions.

the New York Times article about taking over banks is even more alarming. It is thoroughly unjustified. You people have a funny way of not facing up to the facts. The people who caused these problems are still in power. The laws that caused these problems are still on the books. You are doing nothing to fix the source of the problem. You are doing nothing to prosecute the illegals in this matter.

You should still be actively pursuing alternatives. There should be legislation being prepared to stop this madness instead of being a bunch of fatalists.

Look, we are entering a deflationary period on the back of some of the worst financial decisions made in the history of this country. Your vote for the "bailout" bill has only exacerbated the problem, not solved it or even slowed it down. Why I have to sit here and wait however many years or months for you to realize you voted the wrong way is one of those little injustices of "representative" democracy.

You don't represent me. You represent some invading force that has taken our money, including the $200 billion "hot money transfer" to your paymasters in Beijing. You have committed the most thoughtless traitorous act at a time when thought and planning was needed. You failed.

I know what I want to say to you, but I won't. Just know this red meat republican is voting for Himes.

Rep Shays

You should still be actively pursuing alternatives. There should be legislation being prepared to stop this madness instead of being a bunch of fatalists.

I know what I want to say to you, but I won't. Just know this red meat republican is voting for Himes.

I called Courtney (CT 2nd District and a Demonrat) and demanded he not vote for this.

Here is his response:

Thank you for contacting me regarding your opposition to the proposed economic rescue package. I appreciate your comments and having the benefit of your views.

When I was elected to Congress, I pledged to act in the best interest of my constituents and the nation, and I cast my vote with the families of eastern Connecticut first and foremost in my mind.

While the legislation was improved over the first version considered by the House, I could not in good conscience support this package that demands more than $800 billion in taxpayer funds while the fundamental problems of the housing market damaging our economy remain unaddressed. I voted no because I do not believe this proposal will sufficiently address our economic crisis and because the package was not fair enough for the middle class.

Let me stress that my vote against this package was not a signal that I am complacent about the state of our economy and the anxiety my constituents are feeling. As someone who represents one of the hardest hit sections of Connecticut, our economic challenges have been apparent to me for the last twenty months I have been in office. Home foreclosures have been accelerating in my district at the highest rate in the state, and the toxic loans sold by large lenders have spread like a virus through our economy.

Over the past week, I have heard from constituents who vehemently oppose the bailout package, retirees worried about their 401Ks, and small business owners concerned about the freeze in our credit markets. I take this economic crisis very seriously. However, especially in a time of crisis, the people of Connecticut deserve a real solution to the grave problems in our economy.

Failing to address the increasing pace of mortgage defaults and the slide in real estate values diminishes the chance of success for the rescue package and reduces the prospects of taxpayers recovering a reasonable amount of their nearly $800 billion dollar line of credit.

Moreover, the proposal still falls short on the test of fairness. The proposal fails to limit outrageous compensation and bonuses paid to Wall Street CEOs and executives who caused this crisis. It also neglects enacting tough oversight of how the Bush Administration would use taxpayer funds. The package was improved after Senate action this week. Raising the cap on FDIC insurance and attaching R&D and energy tax credits were a step in the right direction. By slowing down this process earlier this week, we were able to improve a bill that at least was able to gain majority support in the House, even if it ultimately fell short of something I could support.

While I stand on the other side of my colleagues who voted for the legislation, I stand with them and all Americans in hoping the proposal works. If it does not, I stand ready to work with members of both political parties to forge a financial rescue plan that gets it right.

Should you have any additional comments or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me in the future. For more information on my views on other issues or to see what I have been working on in Congress, please feel free to visit my official website at www.house.gov/courtney and sign up for my e-newsletter.

So he voted against it but for the wrong reasons. I won't vote for him in any case.

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