An open letter to the Democrats and Republicans
Dear Democrats and Republicans,
Hi, remember us? You know, the people who make up the VAST MAJORITY of the nation? The people you are now continuously screwing over for your political infights and your corporate overlords?
See, the problem is, YOU DON’T. This impasse over a debt ceiling because you are holding your ludicrous party lines and working against one another in an insane attempt to jockey for position before the next election is completely and totally UNACCEPTABLE.
Remember the middle? You know, the people who are centrist and only barely lean towards one party or the other? The majority? How can you justify continuing this absurd and destructive practice?
KNOCK IT OFF! Get back to work! Stop posturing, stop threatening, stop logjamming the system and DO YOUR JOB!
If we regular Americans did at OUR jobs what YOU do at yours – we’d be fired. Those of us that HAVE jobs, that is. Because you do realize that FAR more than the 10 percent or so reported is actually without jobs at the moment? And what are you doing about that?
President Obama hints that Social Security checks might be affected by this continued impasse. For real? If anyone should be affected, it should be congress. How about YOU guys go without pay while you play your inane games?
I DO NOT care which party you are a part of. The constant battles for supremacy are just hurting those of us down here, beneath your notice. How about doing something about this problem, instead of posturing and spewing sound bites for the news?
Your corporate overlords and wealthy contributors are happy. You aren’t doing anything that will make them any less rich and powerful. In fact, you’re making it easier for THEM to continue to make obscene profits at the expense of the Average American.
You don’t want to raise taxes. You don’t want to raise the debt ceiling. And you don’t want to cut corporate subsidies. But you DO want to cut social services and health benefits and things that directly affect US. Because we don’t really matter, do we?
This country is not run by YOU. Sure, you provide the necessary illusion that we are still a nation governed by the people, for the people. But that’s not true, is it? No, see, the real people running the country are the ones who BUY you. The corporations and wealthy benefactors who fund your campaigns, and thus your political careers.
See, I have become increasingly disillusioned by your constant squabbles. And all the tax breaks you let the big businesses keep. And the power the banks have. And the utter disregard for the welfare of the people you govern.
See, if you REALLY cared, you’d stop mollycoddling the corporations, and instead force them to create jobs, give back to their communities, and pay their share of the taxes. Look at those huge balance sheets and unbelievable profit margins, and tell me they need ANY sort of subsidies or favors? Seriously?
And what about small businesses? The mom and pop stores those mega-corporations routinely run roughshod over? Those monsters began as upstarts once. How about supporting the little entities that make up the actual backbone of our economy?
YOU have excellent health benefits. Do you KNOW how much we pay into having decent health care here in the real world? Do you know how we struggle to get our insurance to cover our care? Obamacare, as you call it, was a Band-Aid. A small bandage on a sucking chest wound. This still barely makes a dent in making healthcare affordable OR available to us. But rather than improve on it, you want to fight over it, or even repeal it.
What happened? I mean, seriously, when did you become so selfish that the needs of those who gave you the power you have cease to matter? When did you lose your way so thoroughly?
NOTHING is getting done. The economy is not improving at any rate worth noting. Decent jobs that cover even the basic costs of living are not being created. The sick are not finding breaks for their care. And billions of dollars are spent without a care on foreign aid to countries who show little to no gratitude.
STOP. LOOK. THINK. And take a good, long look at REAL America. Not the image Fox News or CNN presents you. Not the base your party line claims to support. I mean actual, middle class, majority America. LOOK AT US. PAY ATTENTION TO US. HELP US!
Stop letting the money dictate how you run this nation. GOVERN. Do for US. Make us believe in you again. Prove that democracy IS still a viable, legitimate form of government. Cut intelligently. Tax sensibly. TRY being reasonable!
Stop campaigning for your reelections. Stop pandering to your party lines. Act appropriately. Take the power that we gave you AWAY from those huge corporations and the wealthy benefactors and WORK FOR US. PLEASE.
Excuse me a moment while I address my fellow Average Americans. Look, if they won’t do the right thing, then WE need to take back the power from these selfish, greedy politicians. WE THE PEOPLE need to remind them who they work for.
I am not suggesting violence. Far from it. I am suggesting we show them this is unacceptable. We need to stop electing these people. We need to ignore their posturing and their gamesmanship and all their bullshit and we need to find and elect people who TRULY represent US, not themselves, not their wealthy benefactors, and not corporate America.
We need to bombard our politicians with this message: YOU WORK FOR US! We need them to remember the AVERAGE AMERICANS, the people who work hard every day to be a part of the “middle class”. We need to remind them that they were elected by US, and that WE are whom they should answer to.
Think about it. Then let’s act on it!
To make action on it easier – I give you a form letter to send. Feel free to cut and paste:
Joe/Jane Average American
123 Any Street
Somewhere, USA 00000
Senator/Congress(wo)man *insert name here*
http://www.contactingthecongress.org/ (to get the necessary address for your rep(s))
July 14, 2011
Dear (Congress(wo)man, Senator) *insert name here*
I am a concerned, average American citizen, and I continue to feel that my voice is not heard.
“We the people” begins the preamble to our constitution. And in theory, “We the people” elect you to your office every (2,6) years. But if that is so, why does it feel like “the people” have no voice anymore?
We need jobs. We need affordable health care. We need to see that our economy matters. We need to see you tax those who are paid astronomical amounts of money more than you tax the middle class. We need education. We need Social Security to be there for us.
The news keeps inundating us about the people who intend to run for President next year. The media keeps reporting about the stalemate over taxes, spending cuts and the debt ceiling. And through it all, we average Americans watch you fight one another, tow the line of your parties, but appear to do nothing that will make our lives better.
Did we elect you to represent only yourselves? Did we elect you to subsidize big business, and pander to your wealthy contributors? Or did we elect you with the notion that you are in Washington to represent us?
Please end the partisan politicking and the constant squabbling and work for us. Please do things that will help generate jobs, spare Social Security, and make sense of the tax code. Please think about the middle class when you make your decisions about cuts you want to make. And think about the future, but don’t do so at the expense of the present!
Remember “we the people” rebelled against the tyranny of an Empire over 300 years ago, “in order to form a more perfect union”. We sought to create a better nation to live in. We did this to escape tyranny, be it a governing empire or a corporate empire. Please take that into account before you continue to play your blame games, and pander to these entities. Please think about the vanishing middle class, before you continue to destroy us, and take the United States of America out in the process.
Do your job. Stop playing the political games you are playing and govern this nation. Think about the now, and take care of business. Do the job you are being paid to do. Please.
With deep concern,
An Average American.
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