Last week, I published a diary requesting Letters to the Editor via VoteVets. Let me tell you, I don't ask you to do something that I'm not willing to do myself. My letter actually got published!
To the editor:
I am appalled that Rep. Don Young supported the efforts of Speaker John Boehner and other Republican House members to keep pushing us toward a government shutdown, when it was clear troops and military families would be among those hurt.
Our troops have pledged to serve. Their families still need food on the table and to pay the rent. Yes, even those living on military bases will owe money to the privatized company running on-base housing. We still have bills to pay.
Rep. Young will still get his paycheck as will all other members of Congress.
President Obama has proposed $33 billion in budget cuts, but Republicans won’t give in on some demands, like cutting tens of millions from housing for homeless veterans. Republicans are holding us hostage and adding politically volatile items to amendments that might save military pay.
It is time for Republicans to act responsibly. They should protect our country and troops and their families from a shutdown of the government. This military wife expects no less.
It caused enough of a stir that I got a personal reply from a staffer in Don Young's office. Any of you willing to help me craft a decent response to the staffer's reply? Join me below the fleur.
Angela,
Congressman Young asked me to follow up with you regarding your Letter to Editor in Sunday’s News Miner. If I may, I would like to make you aware of few things the Congressman has done during the 112th Congress to avoid a government shutdown.
The House has passed both a long-term Continuing Resolution (CR), H.R. 1, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, and a short-term CR, HR 1363, Department of Defense and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, both of which included Defense funding for the rest of FY2011. Unfortunately, the Senate has yet to pass any bill to continue defense funding through FY2011.
If the government had shut down, active duty military would have been received back pay, but the payments would have been delayed depending on when the budget is resolved. However, the Congressman understood that a shutdown would have affected real people who live paycheck to paycheck and that it would have caused even more stress to our military members and their families who are already stretched thin. Because of this, the Congressman signed a letter to House leadership and his colleagues urging them not to let the government shut down. I have attached a copy of that letter to this email.
On April 1, 2011, the Congressman voted in support of H.R. 1255, the Government Shutdown Prevention Act. This bill prohibits the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Administrative Officer of the House from disbursing Member pay for every day following a lapse of more than 24 hours in appropriations for any federal agency as a result of a failure to enact a regular appropriations bill or because the limitation on the debt of the U.S. has been reached. In addition, the bill would prohibit the president from receiving pay for any period in which there is a lapse of more than 24 hours in appropriations for any federal agency as a result of a failure to enact a regular appropriations bill or because the limitation on the debt of the U.S. has been reached. The Senate has yet to act on this legislation.
Please feel free to call/email me if you have any further questions. Have a great day!
Jason
I haven't had a chance to do my homework on these issues yet but though some of you might already know what he's talking about. Willing to leave some suggestions in the comments below?
For those of you who want to read the full gamut of opinion up in Fairbanks, AK, check out the opinion page of the Newsminer. I got lots and lots of responses, everything from military families should have 90 days pay socked away to protect themselves and that my opinion is lopsided to outright agreement (only a couple, but for Fairbanks, that's doing good).