Posted on 09/05/2011 5:12:29 PM PDT by Windflier
Dear Congressman Marchant (any elected official),
I am a leader and supporter of the Irving Tea Party, the Arlington Tea Party, the Irving Republican’s woman’s club, contributor/advisor Lone Star Tea Party and serve as a delegate from the North Texas Council. I am a resident of Irving, reside in Valley Ranch and have been active in local politics. I have attended numerous Town Hall meetings, Irving ISD School Board and City Council meetings and have participated in fundraising activities for the recent Irving Mayoral race and U.S. Congressional campaigns outside of my district.
I hold an undergraduate degree in Economics from the W.P. Carey school of Business at Arizona State University. I have the utmost respect and reverence for private property rights, the rule of law, free and unbridled markets, mankind’s innate, God-given unalienable civil, social and economic rights, and the binding chains of the U.S. Constitution that guard American’s from the infectious power and abuse of government coercion, constriction and corruption.
I would like to take the time to respond to your newsletter titled “August District Work Period”. In the newsletter, you encouraged your fellow citizens to give you additional insight into what we the people, as part of a Constitutional Republic, would like to see from our elected representatives. The answer is quite simple to those of us not in public office, as we are not subjected to political pressure from party leadership, slander from an uninformed and uneducated media elite or the withdrawal of financial campaign support bribes from wealthy, powerful special interests groups. Allow me to share our rational, logical and principled sentiments with you.
The illness that our nation has contracted is not an “ism”. It is not liberalism, communism, socialism, nor progressivism. It is not ignorance, educational decadence, apathy or sloth. So long as our public servants in Washington allow us to keep but a single penny of our earned income we will take advantage of the natural incentives of voluntary exchange provided in the free market that has served as the exclusive catalyst to establish the most prosperous nation ever to inhabit the known universe. Despite bearing the burden of government largess, the monetary value today totals $14 trillion U.S., or nearly 1/3 of the world’s wealth produced by only 1/20 of the Earth’s population.
Despite the best efforts of the political propagandists, the illness is not society run amok, for society doesn’t exist. Society is a fabrication of the demagogues. America is made of individuals, compacts, associations, organizations corporations, charities, churches and charters. Individuals, in their natural state, innately yearn to be free. The illness that has marred our nation is an idolatry of government by our self-ordained leadership, the belief in egalitarian omnipotence and God-like compassion, the denial of its infinite power and the consequential abandonment of our nation’s founding principles. The denials of these self-evident truths were the original inspiration to a few members of mankind that held courage and seized the opportunity to escape the bonds of oppression and tyranny, despite great risk and without promise. More specifically, the illness that has infected our nation is the treachery perpetrated by the demagogues masquerading as conservative leaders; the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
The solution is simple in theory. We need to remove the Republican, Democrats and Independents representatives in elected office that do not, unconditionally and without compromise, defend the founding principles, embodied and legally defined in the U.S. Constitution. Since the political establishment in both parties has made this incredibly difficult, we will petition you in the meantime, until we can raise enough awareness of the general public to remove those who stand in opposition to freedom. Those who are upholding their oath to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution have little to fear.
Allow me to respectfully directly address both the rhetorical political platitudes and policy prescriptions contained in your newsletter.
1) Deep concern about the size of government and federal spending
It is a statement of fact that few members of the House or the Senate personally read or understand the implications of every bill signed into law. Additionally, many laws have been passed prior to many members arrival in office, which makes understanding the size and scope of government by any elected official practically impossible. Additionally, the government is so large, irresponsible, and dedicated to central planning that the legislative body has over 117 committees and another 100 sub-committees who have been delegated to centrally plan hundreds of aspects of the citizen’s lives. Not a single new piece of legislation should be passed that does not amend or repeal a prior bill.
Furthermore, our elected officials have delegated the writing of regulations to government bureaucracies administered by political appointees and staffed by government union workers, who essentially are drafting legislation, since Americans are bound by law and with threat of fine and imprisonment, to comply with their rules.
The bottom line is that even YOU, Mr. Marchant, don’t even know how embarrassingly big the government really is or even where the funds are actually spent. Most Americans, then, certainly don’t know. Whatever you do know should be broadcast in the public forum educating to forward the conservative debate, instead of hosting fund-raisers for your party that represents your incumbency, not your constituents.
2) Cut Federal Government Spending and Amend the Constitution with a Balanced Budget Amendment
The debt deal you signed did not cut government spending, despite the claims of your leadership. Instead of discussing spending cuts, change the debate. We all know there were no cuts, just reductions in increases. According to the CBO, another giant government bureaucracy, simply freezing spending at current levels, as opposed to making “draconian cuts” would reduce projected deficits by more than $7-9 trillion over the next 10 years, far more than was “accomplished” by the recently passed bill. Who is running the Republican PR campaign and how difficult is that to understand or articulate to the public? Our leadership is ignorant, incompetent or simply not serious.
With the above in mind, who is going to join you in Amending the Constitution to ensure a balanced budget? Are these the same charlatans that passed the deficit deal and heralded the maintenance of our $1.3 trillion annual deficit as progress? While you are busy working to amend the Constitution, why don’t you propose the idea of ELIMINTAING the individual federal income tax, or prohibiting the federal government from borrowing money, unless there is an imminent national security threat from a foreign nation engaged in military action against the U.S. on our soil.
3) Our number one priority should be jobs
I have carefully read your letter and agree with you that businesses should be enabled to grow. Americans and their businesses certainly are thankful that the government allows them to benefit from the fruits of their own labor. We pray for your continued compassion and graciousness! I also agree that your implication that only the private sector can make our economy grow. What I have yet to hear in the public forum from any significant number of Conservatives in office is a reiteration of the fact that the government cannot create jobs. The government can only employ people by taking money from other workers and businesses, which robs Peter to pay Paul. The government does not have any of its own funds, so government spending is inherently hurtful to the sectors of the economy who do not receive any benefit from the government. Assistance from the government to those in need should only be temporary. We are losing this debate because there are few public officials educating the public about these simple truths. Our leadership is spineless and insulting to the people, especially considering we are paying their salaries and benefits.
4) Pass the three free trade agreements; Simplify the tax code; Lower corporate and personal tax rates
Free trade agreements are simply a negotiated rate for tariffs. The countries who historically grow at the highest rate have the lowest tariffs for imports AND exports. Tariffs should be the same for ALL INDUSTRIES and should be as low as possible, as this will help the economy. Why is this policy not followed? Special interests and congressional favors.
The only way to simplify the tax code is to abolish the IRS in its present form completely and have a flat tax. The only reason why the tax code is so complicated is because the 536 people that run our governments have been busy making lobbyists happy at the expense of the taxpayers. Regulatory and tax compliance consumes over $1.5 trillion in the private sector. There is plenty of support from the public to lower both personal and corporate tax rates, assuming it is discussed in the right context. Please remind the public that everyone who does NOT work for the government will benefit from this policy. A majority of Americans do not work for the government; this is a political layup.
I would encourage you to change the debate by appearing in public forums and educating the American Public on the REAL issues facing our nation. Do they know about the $1.3 trillion deficit? Do they know that most cabinet level federal departments in the last 3 years since 2007 have increased their budgets by 60-300%? Do they understand that participation of the U.S. in the UN is a voluntary relinquishment of our national sovereignty? Do they know that federal pensions (which are wholly arbitrary and paid for by workers in the private sector) will exceed $200 billion dollars this year? Do they know that revenues from the payroll tax only pay for 1 out of 3 programs the government claims, making the programs already bankrupt? Do they know that we give foreign aid to over 170 countries, of which the funds are wholly unaccounted for and are paid to many nations that despise the U.S.? Do they know that we have hundreds of costly and unnecessary military installations around the globe? Do they understand that 50% of Americans do not pay any income tax?
Do they understand that social security is that SAME ponzi scheme that Bernie Madoff was imprisoned for, except for that fact that tax payers are forced to participate in fraud while Bernie’s clients volunteered, albeit unknowingly? Do they know that the postal service will lose 8 billion dollars this year; Amtrak $3 billion? Do they know that the tax thugs confiscate more cents off each gallon of gas than the oil companies make in profit? Do they understand that the public school system is a government monopoly, a collusive arrangement by school districts and legislators to eliminate competition between the government administered schools districts, which has had the obvious effect of protecting administrators and teachers at the expense of parents, children and taxpayers?
Do they understand that central planning, wherever it has been tried, has failed miserably both socially and economically? Do they understand that the growth of government power and authority inherently requires the reduction of their individual freedom? Do they know that the majority of the world still lives in abject poverty, precisely because citizens of those nations have few social and economic freedoms? Is it any wonder that the freest nation on earth enjoyed the greatest amount of economic growth and prosperity prior to unions, the welfare state, the regulatory state, public education, government housing, the war on drugs and the income tax?
Do they understand that government is the disease? Do you? -Ross K.
PASS IT ON TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND SPHERE OF INFLUENNCE
A CONSERVATIVE STORM IS BREWING
We request you forward this letter on to your sphere of influence, including news media and all elected officials. There has been nothing but praise for this young man's thoughtfulness and intellect. It's an incredible piece. Please forward.
Opened my email today and saw this piece from the Lonestar Tea Party. It is so good, that I had to share with my Freeper friends.
This is exactly the message that Washington needs to hear until their ears are ringing with it. Send it to your Congressional reps, and pass it on!
excellent. I will send to my family in the Arlington area.
It’s a great plan as far as it goes but it troublingly leaves out any mention of National Defense.
What about the border?
What about the Jihadists?
What about the Iran nukes?
I'm sure that Ross has very strong opinions about that, too, as well as the other points you brought up. I'll bet he agrees with you, too.
It is saved in my political file.
It's definitely a keeper. I'd put it right up there with Palin's Indianola speech.
“What about the border?”
The Mexican drug cartels and I-35 corridor pose possibly the greatest threat to our national security this decade.
When I hear talk about, “We need to work more closely with the Mexican government and give them more money (etc.) ... “ well, our government recently gave the drug cartel thousands of firearms and trained Los Zetas at Ft. Benning, GA. And good job there in Laredo, Gov. Perry! /s
Nuke them from orbit ...
I'm not doing this as the "posting police," just pointing out that thread because you seem to be interested in this piece and you might be interested in what folks had to say about it before.
As letters to Congress Critters go, this one is ineffective for several reasons. It's way too long, and covers way too many different points. If you want to send this to your Congress Critter, break it up into several shorter letters/faxes/emails and send them separately. That will be more effective.
Other than that, it's good to see this come up again.
Good point.
The poster of the other thread just informed me. So many of us were busy all day with Sarah's Indianola speech, that I'm sure a whole lot missed the earlier thread.
Even on a normal day, FR moves so fast that you can miss a great article if you don't check the front page every fifteen minutes or so.
Thanks for the heads up. You're right that the letter might be a tad long for the average congress critter to stumble through, but it sure would make one helluva speech, don't you think?
Yes, it would be a great speech for a TEA Party rally.
Windflier wrote:
You're right that the letter might be a tad long for the average congress critter to stumble through, but it sure would make one helluva speech, don't you think?
Also, remember, when you address a letter to a Congress Critter, it will be read first by a low level staffer. If they don't understand it, it won't get in front of the boss. At best, it will get in the "for" or "against" pile on some issue mentioned in the letter. By covering multiple issues in a single letter, you won't even land in "the pile" for every issue. You'll probably land in "the pile" for the issue that you actually care the least about.
When I write to my Congress Critter and Senators, I follow a rule of 1 page, 1 issue per letter. Also, I run my letters through an analyzer, and I try to write it at 6th grade to 8th grade level. Any "higher level" writing is likely to get misunderstood or just confuse the reader (the staffer). If I had a Democrat representing me, I'd probably shoot for 4th grade to 6th grade level.
What's needed is a FAIR tax. Get rid of the IRS completely. Let the states collect the Fair Tax and once a year the federal treasury gets 50 checks from the states ...( or is that 57 checks?)
Our leadership is ignorant, incompetent or simply not serious.
There is also one more to add to that list. Some in our Republican leadership are **EVIL**!!!
Irving... that is my town!!
I guess I need this guy as a Facebook friend. heh
When was the last time under Republican leadership that our government was made smaller?
What's your point? That it can't, or will never be done under a Republican administration?
With Apologies to Bob Dylan:
Come gather ‘round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside ragin’.
It’ll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
Your country is dying
You must take a stand
Your children’s future
Is turning to sand
Your values are
Rapidly fadin’.
Rise up for America
You must lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The Old Guard is
Rapidly fadin’.
And the First One now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.
No apologies necessary, friend. That was excellent.
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