Recently, I emailed my newly-elected Congressman, Richard Hudson (NC-8), to complain about his partisan vote against Hurricane Sandy relief. I didn’t expect a reply but he did – graciously and at length on official email letterhead.
Here’s the gist: “Sadly, the bill that was on the House floor regarding Superstorm Sandy relief had less to do with storm damage and more to do with continued reckless fiscal policy from Washington. This package further exacerbates Washington’s spending problem by not appropriately prioritizing spending for those who need it most. Congress had the opportunity to provide needed disaster relief and offset the spending. Unfortunately, the decision was made to tack on an additional $33 billion in new spending for long term projects…”
I know bullpucky when I see it. My reply is reproduced below. I look forward to a long and enjoyable joust with the good Congressman.
Dear Congressman Hudson:
I appreciate your reply to my email. It is nice to know that you correspond with your constituents. I hope I can continue to do so because you are not representing the point of view of quite a lot of us.
You see, I believe that the national debt - while mind-bogglingly enormous - is also a bogus issue. If you are, as are Democrats, concerned about good fiscal policy, do not play political games with your rhetoric. I am well-informed on the issues and know propaganda when I see or hear it.
Americans do *not* refuse help to those in need when they need help. That includes the victims of natural disasters, the poor, the elderly, wounded warriors, the unemployed and those without healthcare. We may ask the more fortunate among us to pay more in taxes and we may end corporate subsidies for Big Oil. We may re-jigger our budgetary priorities toward reducing and streamlining our military forces. We may put many more people back to work with some well-timed, federally funded projects to repair our crumbling Interstate bridges (thus putting much more money into the economy). We may also make use of the abundant and free wind off our Outer Banks in North Carolina to create electricity and thus, reduce dependence upon coal.
But we do not refuse help to those in need. It is not the American way.
Sincerely,
Susan Kraykowski
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