MEMBERS OF CONGRESS HAVE ABROGATED ALL RESPONSIBILITY
August 7, 2011
Dear Editor:
The following letter has been sent to my congressman and U.S. senators:
Dear Sir or Madam:
As Howard Beale so aptly put it: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” Having abjured political involvement all my life, I am hesitant to offer an opinion on the issues facing this great country. However, the dismal behavior of our “political elites” and the distressing trajectory of our republic compels me to speak up.
The recent kerfuffle over the debt ceiling and related budgetary matters was my personal “tipping point” in this regard. It is ironic that members of Congress (on both sides of the aisle) invariably lambast financial shenanigans in the private sector, yet their stewardship of our tax dollars and their budgetary gimmicks would result in prison terms for fraud if they were to behave similarly in the private sector. Every sentient member of Congress must know that our spending spree cannot continue, yet each persists in placing their own electoral prospects above the nation’s interest. Let’s subject Congress and the Executive to the same stringent financial regulation and fiduciary duties (with the same civil liability and criminal penalties) under which the private sector must labor. Enough already — “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”
And now 523 members of Congress have abdicated their Article I duty by delegating essentially all further budgetary responsibilities to a politburo of twelve members drawn from the House and the Senate. Why are we paying the salaries, the staff, and other expenses of these 523 members of Congress? If they elect to shirk their constitutional duty they should resign, or at the very least, forgo their salaries and congressional perks for the period during which this twelve-member politburo is acting in their stead. That would be an appropriate first step in getting our fiscal house in order. Enough already — I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”
I could go on and on but my blood pressure and my sanity dictate that I cut this diatribe short. Just start acting like adults — and from now on place the future of this country above your own parochial interests and your prospects in the next election. I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!
Yours truly,
An American