My hands are shaking, so this is hard to type and I won't add anything here. Here attached is the letter I just sent the President. It is short and irratic because I was compelled beyond self-preservation to write it at work after hearing the President speaking again about shared sacrifice and compromise. So this is me tilting at windmills.
Mr. President,
Today you claimed that there is resistance on the political left to blowing up entitlement programs. You are wrong. I fear you can no longer see beyond the beltway.
In fact, THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS do not want to touch Social Security. We know that program is largely deficit neutral. We also know that Social Security trust fund is not the federal piggy bank and when not treated as such, has no problems whatsoever.
WHY ARE LEGISLATORS SO UNCLEAR ON THESE TWO FACTS?
THE MAJORITY OF AMERICAN CITIZENS do not want to touch Medicare or Medicaid.
THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS know that you don't strengthen a program by defunding it or limiting access to it. That is the path to delegitimize and cripple a program only. Period.
Lastly, THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS want to RAISE TAXES ON THE RICH and CLOSE THE LOOPHOLES THAT LET CORPORATIONS EVADE CONTRIBUTING TO THE COMMONS THEY FREELY EXPLOIT.
You may not care about e-mails from what, I'm sure, you consider the fringe left. You may not care about polls, and admittedly polls have their flaws, but dammit, sir, they are us. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
We don't want "entitlement" "reform." We DO want the rich- yourself included, along with congressional millionaires, being more than 50% of both houses, to pay your fair share.
Shared sacrifice? Is that always supposed to mean we on the bottom cover your share so you and the do-nothings in the legislature don't have to sacrifice campaign contributions or forgo sweet lobbying or consulting gigs after you're done with your "public service?"
Fight for us. Fight for us, Mr. President. If not now, when?
Has anyone else noticed that on Change.org where it used to ask if you were a donor to the presidential campaign, it now asks you how much you donated?
I fear the average person is now only worth what it can feed the machine, and I fear the struggles upon us cannot, nor would ever, be resisted by the government in power. That the voice of large monied interests are the last voices heard in Washington.
But this is me yelling anyway.