My very first diary and I didn't even write it. My sister did. Last week she received a fund raising letter from Nancy Pelosi. With the request for funds was a survey. My sister was so mad at the transparency of the I-sent-this-to-make-you-think-that-your-opinion-matters ploy, and at the questions themselves, that she dissected the survey and responded with the following. You may not agree with everything, but, DANG, she does outrage well.
(A bit of info: When you get to the foreign policy section, keep in mind that my sister is married to Brahim the Mad Moroccan, much beloved by all. It might help explain her I/P views. Please, don't let this drag us all into yet another shoutfest. A moment of silence here for all those around the globe who are living in fear and/or persecution.)
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GONG!!! And CJB's sister comes out swinging!
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February 8, 2005
Representative Nancy Pelosi
House Democratic Leader
PO Box 96139
Washington, DC 20077-7243
February 8, 2005
Representative Nancy Pelosi
House Democratic Leader
PO Box 96139
Washington, DC 20077-7243
Re: Disappointing Survey, Angry American
Dear Representative Pelosi,
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. It was also nice of you to send the survey on as an opportunity to respond as to how I am feeling about the state of the Union.
I find, however, that the survey does not allow me to adequately express how I am feeling. I am, therefore, taking this opportunity to respond in more detail.
Part I Survey Mission
This is a critical moment in history for American and the Democratic Party. We must hold the line against the radical, mean-spirited agenda of GW and forcefully assert positive policies to improve the lives of all Americans. This is your opportunity to let the Democratic leadership know your priorities for the future.
Usually I wait until an election comes up to let you know how I am feeling. But since you asked....
Part II Personal Information
Age 18-35, 36-50,51-65,65+
Do you consider yourself liberal, moderate, conservative
Did you vote on November 2?
How often do you vote for Democratic candidates? Always, Most of the Time, Rarely, Never
I am 36-50. So is my husband. My son is 18-35 and my mother is 65+. All the co-workers in my office are 51-65. I am personally interested in the government's impact on all of our lives.
I am classified as a liberal due to my association with that end of the democratic spectrum when it comes to taking care of the poor, although I am an extremely conservative fiscally. My religious beliefs are moderate.
Did I vote? I canvassed, I registered voters, I became a precinct committee person, I attended local Dem. Meetings. I stayed connected on the Web. And YES I voted.
I vote most of the time for Democrats. BUT, and this is a big BUT, I vote by policy decisions and promises and not by party.
Part III The state of the Union
What is your outlook for the state of the union during the second term of GW? Positive Negative Uncertain
How important is the role of Democrats in Congress to achieving a positive state of the union? Crucial, Important, Uncertain
How important is the support of people like you to the efforts of Democrats in Congress to block GW's radical agenda? Crucial, Important, Uncertain
Do you approve of Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert's pronouncement that he will block all legislation that is not supported by a majority of the majority? Approve, Disapprove, Not Sure
What is the most important priority affecting the state of the union? Terrorism, Affordable Health Care, New Jobs, Better Schools.
My outlook is very negative. I would consider job offers over-seas. I would consider foreign residency.
To tell you the truth, I have had a hard time picking out who the Democrats are in congress. It appears to me that, based on voting records, most Democrats are looking rather Republican these days.
When you ask how important my support is, I suspect you are suggesting that my money would be helpful in seeing you all through another term. I don't really want to support that. I want some change and I want it now. I want strong voices shouting some truth, whether or not it will get lobby money, conservative southern folks or fence sitters to assist you in the next election. I want some representatives who think about the public good and the right course more than they think about whether they will be in Washington long enough to pay off the Georgetown apartment.
Who cares what Dennis Hastert says? I don't.
You barely remembered to asked what the most important priority is effecting the nation. I have given lots of thought to this and would encourage you to do so as well. The time is better spent here than in worrying about the "majority of the majority".
Here is the big issue... the standard of living in the US is falling behind that of every other developed nation. We are becoming a two class system; the rich and the poor. The vast majority are the poor. Our government representatives hear primarily from special interest groups representing the very rich. The rest of us get these poorly constructed surveys as the means to inform you as to our thoughts. We also get a bucket-load of half truths and sometime blatant fabrications from our government through carefully crafted sound bites.
Part IV The Economy
How would you rate the current state of the American Economy? Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor.
A balanced budget is more important than a federal tax cut. Agree, Disagree, Not Sure
Do you support the Republican-led Congress giving President Bush the authorization to increase America's debt levels and run us further into the red? Yes, No, Undecided
I am most concerned about: Retirement Savings, Daily Expenses, College Savings.
The American economy is failing to provide the same standard of living as other developed nations.
I am not particularly interested in seeing more tax cuts to anyone. I should point out that my taxes have been going up for the last four years. The federal tax went down and the state and local taxes went up. I will pay more in taxes for 2004 than in prior years. I am not earning more. The only winners in the tax game are the very rich who can afford to locate themselves and their business in states that give them tax concessions. The rest of us are paying more. If you are paying less in taxes then you may want to ask some serious questions about which group you fall into.
I am not as interested in the red vs black lines or any other color scheme that you select for the budget. I am interested in diverting spending to address the needs of the majority of the American people. That plan also needs to be fiscally sound.
I am not "most concerned about retirement, daily expenses or college saving". I am interested in the fact that whole classes of the US are falling in their standard of living and that there are fewer opportunities for most Americans to reverse that trend. I am sickened by the lack of basic standards in health, housing, education, safety, and security of the American public. I would be better off living in any other developed country at this point in history.
Part V Social Security
Do you favor or oppose efforts to privatize Social Security? Favor, Oppose
Protecting Social Security retirement benefits promised to America's seniors is more important than keeping the tax cuts promised to America's wealthiest. Agree, Disagree, Not Sure
The US has over two hundred years of history and the only federal program worth its weight is the social security program. I am disgusted that the reserve fund that we worked so hard to build over the last 20 years was not segregated from the general budget. I am disgusted that we did not insist on loan documents and bonds when we "loaned" this money to the government. I am sick that after all our sacrifice, YES SACRIFICE, there are some who would suggest that the money is gone and will not be repaid.
I think that the first priority of congress this year should be to segregate every last dime that was to be in reserve and to formally write the loan or bond documents that clearly identify the intended use for these funds. THAT IS A SOCIAL CONTRACT that was made to us when we agreed to the high tax rate.
There are three features to Social Security. The most famous is the retirement benefit. I don't hear anyone talking about the other two. I think that if young Americans priced the cost for disability and death annuities, they would find that the other two benefits are the most important to them. They certainly were to me while I was raising a family. My calculations in the 1980's indicated that I was saving 50% by paying the extra social security tax. Where is the Democratic Party on this? I have not heard a sound from any of you in leadership roles.
After you have segregated social security from the general fund, I would suggest that you beef up the plan by taxing every American's full wages. Yes, I said tax every American and all of the wages. I can't think of a single reason why someone making $350,000 should be allowed to opt out of his/her civic duty to contribute to this wonderful program. In fact, the executive making $1,000,000 should be filled with pride that they have the luck and fortune to be able to make a substantial donation to the well being of Americans less fortunate. I think removing the tax cap would fix the regressive tax feature (only the poor support the poor) and would begin to address the shortfall in Medicare funding as well.
Part VI Education
Do you think the Republicans in Congress are committed to improving public schools? Yes, No, Undecided
The future of our nation depends upon all children having the opportunity to learn in safe, well-equipped public schools. Agree, Disagree, Not Sure.
The last time I checked, the federal government did not fund our public schools in any meaningful way. That includes all of the many Democrats who voted for "No Child Left Behind." On the other hand, I think that the Oregon state government is very committed to public schools. Who cares what the Republicans in DC want? My guess is that they don't have school age children and if they do all of them are in private schools.
The future of our nation depends on the incentive that we provide our citizens to train to the best of their ability to contribute to the society. I would say that our nation depends on the children of India and China more than on the children of the US. I am also guessing that it only takes a 6th grade education to be a Walmart greeter. I don't think that it takes any education to work at a fast food restaurant. Employees there don't even have to calculate change.
Part VII The Environment
How do you feel about Republican calls to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other public lands to oil drilling? Strongly Opposed, In Favor, Undecided.
We need clean energy. The way to achieve it is to take the profit out of dirty energy. If the rich want to pay the cost for their pollution then have them pay. The money can go to public programs to abate the damage. If they want to reduce their cost then have them invest in clean energy. The rest of us are car pooling and riding public transportation. We can't afford our electric bills and our thermostats are already turned as low as they go.
It looks to me that both political party leaders are accepting large contributions from the worst polluters. Why would I trust a party leader who does not put words and actions together. I would rather send my check to the congressman who refuses to accept the lobby money. I would trust what they say, too.
Part VIII Health Care
Should Medicare benefits be extended to cover the true cost of prescription drugs for senior citizens? Yes, No, Undecided
How important is it to you for Congress to find more money in the budget to extend healthcare to low-income Americans who can't afford health insurance? Very important, Somewhat Important, not Important.
Listen, no one can afford the cost of healthcare. Why are you still talking about the poor as if it is a small group of unfortunates that could be easily covered with Medicaid. One in six people in my state has no coverage. All of them need it. Most of the rest of us have substandard policies that shift the risk to us in levels that we cannot afford. The hot tip that I just heard is that a tube of super glue can paste together an open wound almost as well as sutures. American families are at Home Depot buying what they will use to handle the injuries of their family members.
We need a nationalized plan now. We need it more than a war, more than military hardware, more than a new Air Force I, more than a $100,000 tax deduction for an SUV, more than a congressional visitors center, more than corn subsidies, more than just about any line item in the budget. We really needed it four years ago. The need is more urgent today. More people in this country have died from a lack of healthcare than have died from acts of terrorism. The cost of healthcare is the number one reason for bankruptcy.
The substandard reimbursement of Medicare only makes the problem worse. We must subsidize the cost of that care by paying higher charges. That is a tax that no one seems to be measuring. Some doctors are now refusing to allow Medicare patients into their practice for fear that they will not be able to pass on the uncompensated cost to the rest of their patients. This is because the rest of the patients don't have great health care benefits any more either. We are all out of money and energy on this one, although most of us can still afford the superglue.
If congress wants to take on something big that is really broken, take on healthcare. I don't have a lot of hope, however. I see that the majority of you are receiving lobby money from the insurance industry. When you give that up and decide to represent us instead, then I will be sending buckets of money to help you along.
Part IX Foreign Policy
How would you rate the job President Bush has done combating terrorism and protecting America against future attacks? Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor
Is the US on target to meet its objectives in Iraq?
We don't know whether Bush has protected our future. In the future we will have the information we need to answer that question.
We also don't truly know what objectives Bush has for Iraq. Do you?
I do have some strong suggestions as to what we should be doing with our foreign policy.
The first step should be to apologize. We should be sorry for using the Taliban and Al Qaida ( in their former groupings) to fight the war with the Soviet Union. We should also be sorry for opening those training schools in Pakistan.
We should apologize to the subjects of Saudi Arabia for making deals with corrupt and controlling rulers. We should be sorry that we used their land to attack other subjects of other corrupt rulers. We should apologize to the Iraqis for funding their corrupt ruler in order to fight Iran. We should also apologize for using bunker busters on their homes when we decided to attack them.
We should also apologize for blocking every UN resolution in that last 30 years that addressed Palestinians grievances. We should apologize to third world countries for sending more money to Israel to prop up that government than we sent to all of Africa over that same 30 years. I last calculated that we were spending over $1,000 per Israeli citizen per year.
Finally, we should spend some time in introspection within our country coming to terms with the shabby way that we have treated Arab and Muslim Americans. We should begin our ideological mission of bringing democracy to the world by reviewing our sense of justice here. It was just three years ago that two congressmen stood in the chambers of DC to suggest that we should intern all Arabs in the US.
When it is suggested that we imprison persons on American soil based on their religious belief or ethnicity it indicates to me that we are not yet in a position to spread the notion of constitutional law, freedom, and democracy over-seas. Incidentally, I do not recall anything more than faint distaste from the democratic leaders during the whole episode. THAT DOES NOT QUALIFY AS LEADERSHIP.
Part X Additional Comments
You only left me five blank lines here. As you can see, I actually have plenty to say. Let me summarize though by addressing your initial request for a donation.
Usually, after a fund raising drive, I receive a form letter thanking me for my support. I would like to suggest that this year the Democratic leadership turn this around. This year let's see if the leadership can lead. If this occurs I will be the first to send my letter thanking you for your support in making my life and the life of those in my community and across the nation a little bit better. Yes, a check will be enclosed.