This is an email forward that I could not let go uncontested. So, here it is broken up, and my response underneath.
The Letter Everyone Is Talking About
This has to be the email forward of the year! Please take a few minutes to read and absorb just what this woman had to say, and then hopefully everyone will pass it to their entire mailing list, and theirs to theirs until it circles the nation! Time is short and arrogance, stupidity and ignorance abound..............
The following letter read on Glenn Beck's show, is rapidly circulating around the country. Americans everywhere identify with this 53-year-old woman. She has given us a voice. Once you read this, you will want to forward it to all of your friends...
GLENN BECK: I got a letter from a woman in Arizona . She writes an open letter to our nation's leadership:"I am a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. Instead, we are burdened with Congressional Dukes and Duchesses who think they know better than the citizens they are supposed to represent. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would feel so horribly disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut-job am I? Well, these briefly are the views and issues for which I seek representation:
What you say here holds no water. Within the last few months, all over the country, people who have never brought up or read the Constitution are suddenly bringing up the Constitution ad nauseum. For the most part they tend to be Beck viewers, and they don’t have any specifics to back it up. If they knew or understood the Constitution, they would have been outraged at Bush’s signing statements, and all of the constitution trashing that goes with a Unitary Executive Presidency.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=10516One: illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I'm not a racist. This is not to be confused with legal immigration.
Most, but not all obviously, that have become fanatical about illegal immigration seem more intent on making certain people suffer, than they do in actually solving the problem. If we wanted to solve the problem as a country, there would be no reason to make children or sick people suffer, just dry up the jobs. Make the people who hire illegals pay a real price, and the problem is solved.
Two: the STIMULUS bill. I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you No, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.
Well, too bad for you then. The stimulus bill is working. The two biggest things wrong with the bill were the massive tax cuts and the fact that it wasn’t large enough. I don’t understand how people un-learned everything we used to know. Government spending got us out of the Great Depression. People now say, “WWII got us out the depression.” That is because the whole economy was based on war, i.e. government spending. By 1939 the unemployment rate was lower than what we have now. We were coming out of the depression already. And the next few decades concentrated on the middle class. That’s why we had a strong economy then. And concentrating on the rich is why we have a weak economy now.Here are some jobs saved/created:
http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/home.aspxThe Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125185379218478087.htmlThree: Czars. I want the circumvention of our constitutional checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution, and honor it.
This is the perfect non-issue. The problem with Czars did not exist until Fox made them a problem. As proof, why wasn’t this a problem during the prior four decades? They have no real power and this issue is moot.
Four: cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There are many conflicting opinions and it is too soon for this radical legislation. Quit throwing our nation into politically-correct quicksand
Sorry, the debate on global warming is over and has been for decades. Just like with evolution, it happened and is happening. In fact, what the scientists where wrong about was that they were too conservative in the past. It’s happening more quickly than expected. If people who make their living by lying say there is a debate, that doesn’t mean there is one. No real scientist would say that now. This science is over one hundred and fifty years old and the professional liars should be drummed out of the public’s eye.That said, cap and trade was a Republican position – just shows how far we have moved.
Five: universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision that will burden me, my children, and grandchildren. Don't you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night without even reading it. Slow down! Fix only what is broken -- we have the best health care system in the world -- and test any new program in one or two states first.
First, we do not have the best healthcare in the world, and the prevalence of that sentiment is a good portion of the reason why. We have the 37th best healthcare in the world and should have the first. We could do a great deal to improve the system if we took out the profit motive and we insured everyone. That said, I don’t like what’s going through Congress now, (not that I’m on your side, oh Lady who watches Beck) but while 20% of the country was screaming about socialism and government takeover, they gave a little and took a lot. All they had to do was allow people to buy into Medicare. Not a difficult scenario for anyone to get his or her head around, but not nearly as profitable. And the states should be allowed to improve, in that you are correct.
Six: growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. More is not better! Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don't you start there.
Here I kind of agree. But I want the government out of personal lives; out of the bedroom, out of what adults do, unless they are hurting someone else. But I don’t think States or anyone else should be able to take rights from any group, no matter how unpopular that group is at the time. And I do think the government should be in the business of businesses. Whether those companies are selling food, plastics, polluting or just moving money, those companies can kill people and destroy lives – they need to be regulated.
Seven: ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes -- how did they pull that one off? Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census with our taxpayer money. I don't trust them with any of our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.
The second perfect non-issue. Really? ACORN is what bothers the right? What about Black Water that has committed murder in our name and has no doubt created terrorists? What about KBR that stole billions, covered up rape of an American, gave our soldiers wastewater, and killed soldiers by cutting corners? But a few people at the bottom of an organization that has helped millions is what people are freaking out about? (Those people at ACORN were fired, by the way - but not the ones who have stolen billions from us, they’re just richer.)
Eight: redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs -- and that is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person! Why do you want me to hate my employers? And what do you have against shareholders making a profit?WHY IS IT THAT ALL OF YOU LEAVE OFFICE AS MULTI-MILLIONAIRS?I WOULD LOVE TO SEE AN INVESTIGATION INTO THAT! MEANWHILE, YOU LIMIT HOW EVERYONE ELSE CAN PROSPER......AND HOW THEY MUST PAY TAXES--GUESS SOME OF YOU FEEL YOU DON'T HAVE TO? WHAT ROCK DID YOU CRAWL OUT FROM UNDER?
Second part first. If you hate what politics has become, then join those on the left that have been fighting for public campaign financing. That is what will fix it.
Why do people like you always fight so hard against the middle class? During the years 1983 – 1989 the country's debt increased by 1.49 trillion because of Reagan’s tax cuts. During those same years the richest 0.5% increased their wealth by 1.45 trillion. The lowest 40% saw their wealth decrease by $256 billion. The same thing happened, only worse under Bush. The 400 wealthiest were worth $604 million each in 1982, (in 2008 dollars). Now they are worth 3.9 billion each, but the average American makes less than they did (in today’s money). If you want to pay their share, go ahead and be charitable. I’d like them to pay their fair share. It hurts the whole country when they don’t.
Nine: charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.
Like our country before Social Security? When the leading causes of death for the elderly were hypothermia and starvation? Didn’t work. Thanks for idea, but that’s what they do in third world countries. I’d like our country to be better than that.
Ten: corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Every company must sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we'll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. (Have you ever ripped off a Band-Aid?) We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.
Here’s where the left and right agree for the most part. But it is much more complicated than just, “sink or swim.” We needed to float capital to the largest banks to stave off a depression. But we needed oversight. They needed to be broken up. Too big to fail means they are too big to exist. And we should have attached not just strings, but ropes to the money given for our protection. But both Republicans and Democrats in power have un-learned what the generation of the Great Depression learned, and it’s cost us.
Eleven: transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let's have it. Let's say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please stop trying to manipulate and appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.
Been saying this since the eighties. Which brings us back to public financing of campaigns. Although you should have said something about Clear Skies and Healthy Forests, et al.
Twelve: unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.Take a breath. Listen to the people.. Slow down and get some input from nonpoliticians and experts on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed-reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.
Where were you in the lead up to the Iraq War, the Bankruptcy Bill, the PATRIOT ACT, Bush’s tax cuts, etc?
I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is needless urgency and recklessness in all of your recent spending of our tax dollars..From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on bringing our concerns to Washington . Our president often knows all the right buzzwords like unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don't want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we're morons.We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented.. You think we're so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work, pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone... and we are now looking at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic freedom spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn't ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us who will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution, and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them.. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming."
Sorry, but your words would carry so much more weight if you and the rest of the right weren’t silent or cheering, when the actions that brought us to where we are now were taking place. You cheered the Iraq War even though Bush cut taxes and deferred payments. (Never mind the moral arguments, we’ll just stick with economics for this one.) You cheered tax cuts for the rich, you cheered the free trade that shipped our jobs and money over-seas, you defended torture that created terrorists, you cheered warrantless spying which makes a mockery of the Constitution you so recently discovered. You cheered the housing bubble and laughed at those who said it will burst and cause problems, you were silent or cheered de-regulation that caused the economic crash and now after helping to cause these problems, you and your ilk are bitching the loudest. The list goes on and on. How about you stop for a while?
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