Minnesota’s Michelle Bachmann endorsing Hoffman?
Yesterday on the Laura Ingraham show, Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann made a good case for a Hoffman vote. Though she stopped short of a full endorsement, Bachmann has observed that a Hoffman vote is simply common sense, if you want a Republican to win the seat:
Hoffman is on the ascendancy … and we have to win this seat, and people need to get behind the winning candidate, and it looks like that’s Hoffman.
She makes a valid point. By now it should be clear that Scozzafava is not going to win. Neither Hoffman nor his supporters will back down — indeed many Hoffman supporters have already said they’d prefer Democrat Owens to have the seat over Assemblywoman Scozzafava. This means two things. First, that it is Dede, not Hoffman, who is the spoiler in this race. And second, that if Republicans actually want a Republican to win, their only hope is to vote Hoffman. Failure to do so lands an Owens victory squarely on the shoulders of Scozzafava and her supporters.
The GOP has made the mistake of believing that being “Democrat Lite” will win them power. It will not. Conservatives — regular Americans, in fact — aren’t concerned with the Parties’ ability to get or stay in power. They are concerned with what those people will do with it. Newt Gingrich doesn’t get it; Michelle Bachmann does.
A full endoresement for Hoffman, meanwhile, has come from former Majority Leader Dick Armey. And he, too, offers common-sense reasoning for his decision.
Finally, in a move surprising nobody, the National Organization for Marriage has endoresed Hoffman, while strongly condemning the Left-wing stance of Dede Scozzafava.
It would appear the writing is on the wall for the Scozzafava campaign. Nobody expects her to notice, but I have to wonder if the GOP does — and whether they plan to do anything about it, or go back to their 2008 strategy of blaming Conservatives for their failures.
NY23 update: More boots on the ground for Hoffman; updates from the liberals in the race
Last night, I received a call on behalf of the Susan B. Anthony List. The group — whose stated goal is getting “pro-life women” elected to Congress — is mobilizing to NY-23 in support of Doug Hoffman.
The caller informed me that the group is sending out volunteers and community organizers to hand out SBA literature and Hoffman signs, and to rally social Conservatives to the Hoffman cause. Hoffman’s campaign, he noted, is primarily concerned with TV ads (given the amount of time and limited finances), while grass-roots activism is being largely left up to individuals and groups like SBA.
Given the budget and time constraints of the Hoffman camp, this secondary support could well prove important to the campaign. In an email to supporters, Hoffman campaign staffer Daniel Odescalchi noted other grass roots groups coming out:
The regional Huck PAC folks have also offered to canvass the district on our behalf.
And a group of Patriots are coming up from Westchester, NY to help too.
GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava, meanwhile, held a meet-and-greet dinner in Lowville, where she was approached by a reporter asking questions about her stated policies, versus her various actions (such as her declining to sign the No-tax pledge until just before receiving Newt Gingrich’s endoresement). After supplying vague answers to the reporter, Scozzafava finally refused to answer any more questions, and staffers blocked the reporter from approaching her. Police were later called in (after the reporter had retired to his vehicle to write his article on the night’s events) to explain things to him and ask him to leave her alone.
Across the proverbial aisle, Bill Owens has also recently run into a spot of trouble — with the California Milk Processor Board. In a new ad, Owens ends up with a variation of the group’s now-infamous “Got Milk?” slogan — which then morphs into “Got Milk Money?” A clever idea, but one which was not, apparently, run by the CMPB first. They’ve issued a cease-and-desist order, which is being largely ignored by the Owens campaign, except to say that their usage consititues “fair use.”
Voters may well wonder if THIS is the fight the Owens camp really needs to be waging right now — and what that might portend as far as which battles Owens would pick as an elected representative.
You can contribute to the Hoffman campaig through his website, http://www.doughoffmanforcongress.com.
UPDATE: According to WaPo, intraparty polls are suggesting Hoffman is now in second place, behind Owens.
(Cross-posted at The Minority Report)
This registered Republican won’t be punching the (R) tab on Nov. 3
Over the past several months, citizens have risen up to protest the gross mishandling of our economy at the hands of liberal career politicians in Washington. Ordinary citizens, many of whom had never dreamed they would take the time out of their busy lives to make such a statement. Had never dreamed they’d find it necessary.
Folks across the country stood to raise their voices against the negligence of a government run amok – including citizens throughout New York’s 23rd Congressional District, in “tea party” protest from Canton, all the way to Albany.
And the eleven county GOP heads of NY23 heard those voices. And when the time came to act, they responded – by selecting for the Republican nomination another liberal career politician.
Dede Scozzafava is not the “change” we need in Washington, no matter what her admirably positive TV ads say. We are where we are because of big spenders. Because of people who aren’t shy about raising our taxes, or spending money we don’t have on a bogus “stimulus” package that puts money in the hands of those who need it least. Dede Scozzafava is more of the same: she voted over 190 times to raise taxes in New York – already among the most taxed states in the union (second only to New Jersey in total tax burden). She voiced support of the failed – yes, failed – stimulus plan, while refusing to sign a no-tax pledge (see above link). Granted, she recently did decide to sign that pledge, though after her honestly decent reasons for refusing, her change of heart is confusing at best, and makes me wonder what she won’t do to get elected.
Though she wisely chose not to pursue the (ACORN-affiliated) Working Families Party nod this time out, it’s important to remember that as a New York Assemblywoman, the (WFP) sits right next to the (R) and (I) behind her name. I think it’s safe to say that, were the WFP not poison to her self-styling as Republican in this race, they’d be proudly supporting her now, too. Especially given the comparatively Conservative leanings of the Named Democrat in the race, Bill Owens.
By contrast, Doug Hoffman is a no-nonsense, fiscally responsible Conservative. He signed a no-pork pledge, is vehemently opposed to more taxes and would never have voted for a bailout measure like the bank bailouts we saw at the end of 2008.
A vote for Hoffman carries import beyond the simple question of who will represent NY-23, however. The nation is watching this race, because it is, indeed, a referendum, not only on the Obama Administration’s handling of our country’s financial affairs, but of the Republicans’ aquiescence to bad policy like the Stimulus (in the Senate), the Cap&Trade, and others. This is a fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party. Will it once again be the Constitutionally Conservative, Common-sense voice of stalwarts from Washington to Reagan; or will it continue to be the weak-willed, if occasionally contrary, twin brother to the Democrats?
When somebody as liberal as DailyKos endorses the Republican, it’s time to take notice
So it’s official, I’m rooting for the Republican to win. As a congresswoman, she could either move even more to the left to properly represent her progressive-trending district and be a pain in the side of the GOP caucus (they have nothing like our Blue Dogs), or Democrats can field a real Democrat to challenge her in 2010.
Markos fears Hoffman, and rightly so. His brand of liberalism demands purity of socialist standards, and he has given his approval to Dede. Read his whole piece. It’s most enlightening.
(cross-posted at RedState)
Hoffman collects two big Conservative endorsements in NY-23
Former Republican Presidential Candidate (and my personal pick for the job, if we’re to be completely honest about it), Fred Thompson sent out a letter to supporters of his political action committee, urging support of NY-23 Congressional Candidate Doug Hoffman.
In that letter, Thompson refers to Hoffman as the “True Conservative” in the race for NY-23 — an assessment with which, given the record of the “Republican” in this race, Dede Scozzafava, I have to concur –and sees the race as “an opportunity to send a message to Washington, to the Obama Administration, and to the politicians who have made careers of ignoring the will of the people they represent.”
Aside from Thompson, the Club for Growth has also thrown in for Hoffman. In a press release issued today, CFG President Chris Chocola all but denounced both Democrat candidate Bill Owens AND Republican pick Dede Scozzafava as being partisan liberals:
After months of runaway spending, bailouts, and record deficits, the last thing we need in Congress is another rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi and the liberal Democrats.
The CFG also posted a poll of three hundred area voters which suggests the race is in a dead heat between the three candidates. Though that poll was pretty clearly partisan and probably not to be trusted as a true and accurate source, it is clear that Hoffman, though not running as a Republican, can count on Republican support as Conservatives seek to reclaim Congress.
With the date for the election now set for Nov. 3, I sincerely hope that all the Republicans in NY-23 will stand up for Real Republican values and vote, not for candidate-select Scozzafava, but for Conservative candidate and the REAL Republican in this race, Doug Hoffman.
As for the eleven who put their ignorant perceptions of “electibility” over policy and values… I propose we deal with THEM as soon as possible.
New York State vs. Small Business
In any economic evaluation, you have to balance long-term goals and short-term goals in a way that will ultimately benefit the “Bigger Picture.” In other words, though it isn’t always the case, sometimes you have to sacrifice short-term prosperity in order to benefit greater in the long run. Recent decisions by New York State, however, seem to suggest a willingness on the part of the State to not only favor the short view, but positively decimate the potential for future prosperity.
The first of these decisions, by the unelected bureaucrats of the State Dept. of Taxation and Finance, includes a new registration and fees for businesses to be able to collect sales tax for the state. You read that right. The State still requires a sales tax to be assessed at cash registers across the state — money which goes directly to the State coffers — but now, retailers have to pay for the priviledge. Par for the course, T&F offers not so much an explanation for this monstrosity of authoritarianism, as a “justification:”
Department spokesman Thomas M. Bergin said the department estimates there are 600,000 active businesses. The $50 fee therefore would generate about $30 million for the state.
“We have never gone through these filers to see who’s here and who’s not,” Mr. Bergin said. “But it also will raise revenue that the state is badly in need of.”
In addition to weeding out defunct businesses, the recertification process could help the department find businesses that owe sales taxes.
In other words, the over-paid bureaucrats at T&F are incapable of actually doing their jobs, so they are charging these businesses in order to be able to make record of retailers they have failed to keep track of. The Government hacks suck at their jobs and the people who perform a service for them (charging and sending sales taxes) have to foot the bill to cover. That Jamie Woodward, the acting commissioner of that department, still has a job, is astounding. Not particularly surprising, but troubling, nonetheless.
I should not have to explain why charging small businesses an additional fifty bucks per quarter (or cycle) is a bad idea in an already troubled economy. I try to avoid explaining common sense — I also refuse to pepper my blog with warnings not to drink Drano or stare directly into the lens of a 5,000-candle-power projector. I’m sure, if you stare at the above sentences long enough, you’ll be able to muddle through. Unless you happen to work for the state.
Alas, the state’s assault on small businesses didn’t start there, and it doesn’t end there. Not by a long shot.
Another recent development involves everyone’s favorite scapegoat, TOBACCO(!!!!!!!!!!)(cue Snidley Whiplash theme). As has been pointed out by this blog before, New York State under “governor” Paterson seems to have found itself a cash cow in the less-than-healthy lifestyles of many New Yorkers. So long as the State is careful only to go after the unpopular minorities of society (like the smokers and the fatties), they figure people won’t mind (or won’t notice) that their freedoms are being eroded.
This time around, though, the State is going after tobacco retailers (and therefore, smokers) in a more roundabout way. Rather than hitting cigs with another tax, they’re jacking the price of the tobacco license. A lot. Where it once cost retailers $100 to get a license to sell tobacco, it will now cost a minimum of $1000. That’s right. A 1000% fee increase, at a minimum. True, my memory can be short, but I can’t think of another fee increase that massive over a single year.
And who’s going to get hurt by this? Big business? Not likely. Big Tobacco? Probably not. Small business and the consumer are going to take the hit, again.
So, good ole Greg & Molly’s out on Route 11, who does a pretty good business in general, but has been suffering in the downturned economy like everyone else, now has to come up with another $1000 a year (or more) and another $50 a cycle. They can probably deal with it, and maybe even manage to come back out of it a stronger business.
Folks who haven’t been around as long, who are perhaps still struggling… well, they’re SOL. Honest folks, in general, who are just trying to make their own way. But then, it is becoming more and more clear that “making our own way” is exactly what New York State doesn’t want to see happening. And as they kill off the businesses, finances and dreams of their constituents, the elected officials of New York State will soon find that they haven’t the revenue left to keep operating. And with no more smokers, fatties, rich folk or small business owners left, who do you suppose they’ll have to shake down next?
Final Push for Conservatism in NY-23: Josh Lynch makes the case that a young Conservative can win in Upstate New York
The Confirmation of Representative John McHugh as Obama’s Secretary of the Army is still yet to occur, but NY-23 Republicans and Democrats are preparing for the inevitable race for his seat in Congress. And amidst talks that the District 23 Republicans may push off making their nominations, The Jefferson County GOP has made their selection known, and a final tally now seems set for Thursday. In their pick of Dede Scozzafava, Jefferson County admits to weighing “experience” over substance. Jefferson County’s GOP Chair Sandra Corey told the Watertown Daily Times criticism that Scozzafava is too liberal “isn’t a problem for me, because I’m a Republican. I’m not a Conservative or a Liberal.”
The prevailing wisdom, certainly inside the Franklin GOP, seems to be that any Republican victory is important — even if it’s a center-left moderate.
Conservative candidate Josh Lynch, who has found supporters among the Jefferson County voters and throughout NY-23, disagrees. “I see a ripe opportunity,” says Lynch. An opportunity for a “Common-sense Conservative” who can run a “positive, issues-based campaign
There’s an aspect of the modern day campaign and on the new media side [in which] I would excel. I would continue to do it the way I did here. I want to be the consensus candidate. A candidate that appeals to new coalitions.
Still a Senatorial Aid, Lynch is essentially working two full-time jobs — his second being the campaign for Congress. In a late-night phonecall, I spoke with Josh Lynch about something the local GOP seems to be ignoring in favor of (flawed) perceptions of electability: policy.
Lynch, who came from a single-parent home, grew up in “a family of educators” who encouraged him to think for himself. ”What it comes down to is the Curiosity to have an intellectual argument.” And it was this, along with the inspiration of his mother and extended family, which developed his Conservative sensibilities.
Turning to recent issues, Lynch talked about the recent Cap & Trade bill that passed the house. A bill that current NY-23 rep McHugh voted for. From both a national and local standpoint, says Lynch, that was the wrong thing to do.
In a small district, we disproportionally use energy. You drive farther to work. You heat with natural gas. I feel like it’s a redistribution of taxes on rural communities. You see democrats pushing urbanization, and pushing our way of life into the gutter.
Beyond that, it was just the process. No one read the bill. It was changed so many times last minute. They shoved it through the committee. And I don’t think that was the right thing. If we’re talking about creating new jobs, I don’t see cap & trade creating jobs. I see it killing jobs, especially in rural communities.
Lynch says it is his rural connection that would encourage him to fight on issues like Cap & Trade.
I really see rural prosperity as part of my message. You have to be business-friendly. You have to try to be lax on regluations. You have to use common sense… We don’t really have the luxury of sacrificing. I’ve been thinking about his for a long, long time, and I’m passionate about it. The government has been asking us to sacrifice for it tomorrow, but nobody is standing up and asking the government to sacrifice for us today. It’s supposed to be Government for the people, and n0t vice versa. At what point to you say enough is enough?
Lynch sees this disconnect between the government’s desires and those of its constituents as being a part of the reason for Obama’s lagging poll numbers in recent days. He cites government control over GM, the desire for harsher regulation on industry and farming, and suggests the people are starting to notice that things aren’t working.
There’s a lot of inefficiency. Anyone that thinks government can run anything better than private or small business is not living in the real world.
And that, naturally, brought the conversation to the topic on everyone’s mind: healthcare reform. Lynch says he does believe there is a problem with people being able to find care: “The healthcare we’re in now, costs are rising higher than inflation, so that’s not a good thing.” But, Lynch says, there is a free market solution, where the Obama Administration keeps looking to Government. Lynch sees a government system leading to rationing of care.
I think Republicans have reasonable alternatives to lower the cost [of health insurance] and create access. Right now you can’t buy insurance across state lines. You can buy other things; you should be able to buy healthcare People are smart. They buy things all the time… Consumers are rational actors. Why can’t that be the case with healthcare?
Lynch says he believes dropping regulations and opening access, encouraging health savings plans (“I have one,” says Lynch, “and I love it.”) and incentivising wellness are free-market solutions which will work better than the government model.
I just think people are smart enough to make their own healthcare decisions. I don’t think the government shoud be getting between you and your doctor, telling us what services we can and cannot have access to.
And, says Lynch, the key to winning this debate, as in most things, is in actually having the argument and allowing the American people access to it.
The longer we have this debate, the more Americans are seeing [Obama's plan] isn’t the answer. The longer we draw this debate out, the more we can educate Americans about the options.
Lynch believes the Republican options for healthcare are being largely ignored by the Democrats in charge.
To be perfectly blunt, I think President Obama wants a major legislative victory to hang his hat on, early on. And I think healthcare is one of the major issues he’s looked at. The reason the other options aren’t being looked at is politics. [The Democrats are] sensing that this healthcare plan could fall apart and if they don’t ratchet up the rhetoric, this whole thing could fail, and the President would miss on a campaign promise.
But, Lynch says, there is an opportunity for coalitions within the Republican movement to come together on the issue.
I’m opposed to a national health board, with the Surgeon General as its chief officer, to determine the benefit structure. What if that includes abortion? What if that board decides a 75-year-old man can’t get chemotherapy treatment? I think we can merge Social Conervatives and Fiscal Conservatives together and say, “we’re not gonna pay for this stuff.”
And it is issues like health care, or the stimulus package, where Lynch says he can start battling the Democrat opponant for NY-23.
I want to be the candidate who who forces the Democrat [candidate] to answer, “Do you support the President’s healthcare plan?” And if he says yes, I have to believe I have a good shot at winning.
Lynch believes people are quickly becoming weary with Obama’s blitzkrieg approach to policy-making. “The time is right with someone with some common sense conservative ideas, even in NY-23,” he says.
Conservative ideas like tax breaks. I had to ask Lynch about the stimulus packages. “Do you believe we can still make the first stimulus work,” I asked, “and how?”
Yeah. I think all the money that hasn’t been used should go back to the citizens. What are we gonna spend it on? Recovery.org? We can’t spend our way into prosperity. There are models in history where we’ve tried it and failed. It’s an economic model that isn’t there. It’s so frustrating that people would even talk about a second stimulus when we haven’t even used the money from the first stimulus.
Lynch says using some of that money on safety and transportation projects is a good thing, but that there is too much waste in the system right now. As an example, he talked about Madrid, New York, where an important bridge has been out for a long time. The bridge outage separates consumers from businesses, costs money to small business owners and every day taxpayers. The government solution, paid for, says Lynch, with Stimulus money, is a bus that shuttles people around the long detour.
You can’t continue to have stimulus money being spent on a bus going around in circles. Build the bridge. It needs to get done now. That’s a practical conservative position. Got a problem? Fix the problem.
Lynch believes it is this common sense, Conservative approach, that can win in NY-23 and, importantly, make a difference in Washington. And he views his youth, called a weakness by some, as a source of strength for the task at hand.
People are frustrated with Washington and Albany, and they want someone new, who will talk to them about issues on a day to day basis. We need some energy, and who better than a young person who can talk about serious issues?
Depopulation is a huge issue in this district. People move away, and I have a unique knowledge and perspective on why. It’s because we don’t have good-paying jobs. Who better to talk about those issues than somebody young? People are looking for somebody new and fresh and wiling to talk about ideas. It’s about being willing to articulate.
And it is exactly that youth and that zeal for a Conservative approach which Lynch says he’ll bring to a campaign. As a campaign staffer for Brownback and, later, for the McCain/Palin Campaign, Lynch knows how to get out the vote.
I want to run a positive, issues-based campaing and build a campaign team that’s never been built before in Upstate New York. One with youth, energy and passion, for change for the right reasons. I can put together a team of people to knock on doors, do grassroots politicking.
And, says Lynch, new media will be an important part of that campaign.
Josh Lynch is running because he loves Upstate New York. As a member of congress, he says it’s important to remember where you came from. “I want to be a member of Congress that stays connected with the people,” he says.
NY-23 Dems extend deadline
Democrats interested in John McHugh’s seat in the US Congress now have until this Thursday, July 23 to get their names in, according to Newswatch 50. The deadline was moved up at a meeting last week.
It’s a little hard to believe there were so many people on both sides just waiting for an opening. So far, the Dems have been pretty tight-lipped about potential candidates (other than the oft-repeated rumors of Aubertine’s interest in the seat), but hopefully will be more forthcoming once they have a full field of potentials.
One thing is certain: this is going to be a long, bloody fight. Hope you have your popcorn ready.
Preparing For Battle: Congressional District 23
Now that Congressman John McHugh has been tapped as Secretary of the Army by President Obama (and there is little doubt he’ll be confirmed), the race has begun for his seat in the House. Though Congressional District 23 is one of the largest districts (and most underrepresented) in the nation, in general, this isn’t one that people pay much attention to. Except, this isn’t like a normal race, is it? With the Democrats in total control of two of the three branches of government, Republicans are hoping to keep this seat, and perhaps even strengthen it. Dems, meanwhile, would love to tighten their hold on the House by replacing McHugh with one of their own. And, of course, for political junkies, it’s the only game in town. All of which is to say that the NY-23 race is, in fact, being watched on a national level.
For now, I’m not overly interested in what the Democrats are doing with this. Speculation is that State Senator Darryl Aubertine will be the (D) nominee. And, certainly, GOP leadership seems to be looking for a candidate who can beat him.
According to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, the Republicans may select a candidate as soon as this week. Now, Republicans are touting the fact that they are keeping the candidate-selection process very, very open and ethical. Which, I suppose they are, at least as much as is possible without actually getting the voters involved. The primary selection will actually be made by a weighted vote by the GOPchairs in the district’s eleven counties. Because of this, it’s pretty hard for the average voter to get to know the candidates until after the selection is made and the GOP starts reformulating their message for the voting public.
More information about the candidates will be posted to this blog, hopefully within the next day or two. Even now, there are clear frontrunners, according to the media; and a source within the county GOP seems to confirm, at least for herself, that the two frontrunners are moderate Dede Scozzafava and the more evidently Conservative Paul Maroun. However, there are other options as well, such as the 26-year-old Josh Lynch. Though he’s young, and this would be his first elected office, the Conservative Lynch is no stranger to election politics, or even to Washington DC. Lynch worked with Sam Brownback as an assistant, and during Brownback’s presidential bid.
It would be, I suppose, too much to hope that the District GOP would flout what has become known as “conventional wisdom” here. I say that because, though actual conventional wisdom is based on what has been proven to work, recent GOP “conventional wisdom,” has been proven specifically to NOT work. It is this new “wisdom,” for example, which suggests we need a moderate to win and keep the seat. Since, you know, that worked out so well with McCain.
Moreover, we should not be merely thinking about winning this seat back, but about helping to effect change in Washington. It should be remembered that the overregulation we’re experiencing, the quickly-passed and worthless “stimulus” package and the overbearing and equally pointless “Cap & Trade” bills are the works of liberals and moderates. “Conventional Wisdom” can say what it wants; Common Sense says introducing more of the same to Washington will not bring about positive change and could, in fact, just make it worse.
This is going to be a tough battle for the North Country. North Country politics, as I’ve learned since my arrival here about four years ago, is often about short-term reciprocation rather than solid, long-term solutions. When talking with many voters in Northern New York, there appears to be a disconnect between stated values and the actual voting process. Person A may better fit the political values of a voter, but the vote will often go to Person B, who “has done a lot for the area.” Unfortunately, what is often unseen is how those good works in the name of the home county will actually effect the voters with regard to both finances and liberty. If a politician, for example, signed something that brought a hundred jobs to such-and-such county, a voter may not notice, or may even wilfully ignore that the same politician also signed a whole bunch of taxes and regs into law which prevented them from getting raises, decreased their benefit packages or even lost jobs for the county.
And it is this, in part, which gives rise to the idea that we need moderates in order to win. The GOP, clueless as usual about what goes on in the minds of voters, takes this willingness to see only the positives as a rejection of Conservative values. They allow Democrats and the media to define the narrative about what the voters want, without actually listening to the voters themselves. On the other hand, if the GOP leadership would listen — really listen — to the average voter, they would realize that results are important, but that the voters also need to be educated in what really happens in a way that the media — the outlet charged, in the minds of many voters, with that task — simply won’t do.
The fact is, here in District 23, the GOP can run a Conservative, and win. But they need to be willing to take on the Democrats who try to define the message. They need to show how what looks like a boon for the North Country isn’t always what it seems, and that though even liberal politicians can occasionally make good decision, these are far outweighed by those decisions which fly directly in the face of North Country values.
Letter to John McHugh re: Cap’n'Tax
Dear Congressman,
Thank you for selling out your constituents, and your countrymen, by supporting the Cap & Trade bill. A bill which you, like your colleagues, could never have had the time to read before the vote. A bill which even 44 Democrats crossed the aisle to prevent because even they understood that the mandates contained in the bill would be disastrous for business, for our economy, and for both workers and consumers.
Congressman, this is the second letter I’ve written you inre your failure to read a bad bill, and your willingness to vote for it anyway.
Mr. Congressman, if I get a response, I suspect that response will be, much like the one I got for the above-mentioned letter, a form letter extolling what you view as the virtues of this legislation — or at least, the fact that they included your own amendment. Kindly allow me to rebut in advance:
So?
Mr. Congressman, if you’ll allow me to be so blunt, neither I, your constituents, nor indeed most thinking Americans, could give two shits whether your amendment prevents acid rain, saves the whales or turns corn starch into dandelion-excreting fuel alternatives. And why don’t we care? Because the REST of the bill, Mr. Congressman, presents us with far more pressing problems. Problems like how we plan on feeding our families, or driving to work.
There’s this thing that should be taken into account, sir, before agreeing to pass legislation. A thing upon which the lives and livelihoods of your countrymen depend far more than bad science and mandates. It’s called Economics. Perhaps, at some point during your career as a Legislator, you’ve heard of it?
As relates to the Cap & Trade bill you so cavalierly signed, it works like this:Producers’ costs go up, as demanded by following the C&T mandates. That cost is passed on to Consumers. (Consumers, just so we’re clear here, are your basic taxpayers. Folks, like those in your state of New York who have less money every year thanks to tax and fee increases). Consumers have to make choices about what they buy, because they can no longer afford to buy everything they otherwise would. Thanks to the price increases. So… producers must find ways to cut costs. How? By cutting production. Which means cutting personnel. Which means — have you figured it out yet? — unemployment goes up. And with Cap&Trade, we’re not talking about a percentage point here. We’re talking about an astronomic increase in good, taxpaying men and women who suddenly don’t have a means of supporting their families.
All thanks to you and seven other turncoat Republicans.
I hope the fact that those of your constituents you sold out don’t have the option of voting you out of office helps you sleep at night.
Yours, sincerely