Unfortunately fellow Kossacks, we are now in an era where the moniker "Democratic Party" is a misleading label for what are actually group of corporate lackey apologist one percenters who pretend to be attuned to the will of their constituents at election time and then once elected, genuflect to corporate, special interests and Beltway Conventional Wisdom Punditry. Congressman Jared Polis, my representative, has revealed himself as falling into this category on the subjects of economics and the Federal Budget.
I've had the misfortune of residing in what was once Duchess of Wingnuttery Marilyn Musgrave's Congressional District (CO-4) for her entire reign of (t)error. Bluedog Betsy Markey was a slight, although ineffective improvement during her predictable one-term tenure, as she then lost to Cory "Faux teabag Corporate Toolboy" Gardner in 2010.
Imagine my delight when my area in Colorado was redistricted for 2012 into Jared Polis' (CO-2) district.
And for many issues, we are in agreement, if his Wikipedia entry is accurate.
However, after sending letters to him and Senators Bennet and Udall regarding my concerns over the Chained CPI and budget negotiations I got a troubling response from Mr. Polis. (My responses from Senators Bennet and Udall were equally troubling, which I covered in a previous diary for anyone who is curious)
The first troubling aspect of his response was the fact that the subject of my concern was the chained CPI and I got a response regarding the "fiscal cliff" and sequestration. Huh? Seems the staffers tasked with responding to constituent concerns are getting a bit confused.
Here is the response from his office:
April 23, 2013
Dear XXXX:
Thank you for contacting me to express your thoughts on the "fiscal cliff." I appreciate hearing from you on this important topic and apologize for any delay in my reply.
The so-called "fiscal cliff" was the name given to a series of automatic spending cuts and tax rises that were set to take effect on January 1st of this year. Among the many programs set to take effect were:
"Sequestration," a set of harmful, across-the-board spending cuts that would slash funding from domestic discretionary programs (such as education funding, job training for low-income and underserved children, and programs to support seniors and allow them to stay in their homes), as a result of Congress's failure to get its fiscal house in order;
The expiration of all of the Bush tax cuts, which would have raised taxes on middle class families;
The payroll tax cut, a 2 percent reduction in the tax used to fund Medicare and Social Security;
A nearly 30 percent reduction in reimbursement rates to physicians for services provided to seniors on Medicare;
The expiration of federal support for unemployment insurance.
Many economists predicted that if Congress had not acted, the cumulative impact of these automatic cuts could have led to a fiscal shock that would have sent the U.S. economy back into recession.
However, at midnight on December 31st, the White House and Congress came to an agreement that avoided the fiscal cliff. Under this deal, signed into law as the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, Congress blunted the impact of the fiscal cliff and postponed most of the cuts from sequestration until March 1st.
I voted for the agreement because I believed that massive tax increases on middle class families would harm our fellow citizens, and would hurt our economic recovery and the many American families who are still struggling.
I have long supported a comprehensive deficit reduction plan that reduces our long-term debt and deficit through a careful balance of spending cuts and the elimination of tax loopholes. Congress needs to get its act together to begin reducing our deficit. During my time in Congress I've worked in a number of ways to do my part by:
Voting for a budget modeled on the Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan;
Working to pass an amendment in the House that replaces the Army's permanent military presence in Europe with a more affordable, rotational force;
Proposing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 that would cut $403 million in funding for a non-functioning missile defense program. (Click below to watch my floorstatementt)
My hope is that Members of Congress will finally come together to balance the budget in a smart and balanced way, and as your representative in Congress, I will continue to work for such an outcome.
Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. If I can be of any further assistance on this or any other issue, please do not hesitate to contact me at (303) 484-9596 or visit my website, www.polis.house.gov, to sign up to receive my e-newsletter.
JP/al
Sincerely,
Jared Polis
Member of Congress
Again, I am in agreement with much of what is contained here except for where the devil is in an important, crucial detail: During my time in Congress I've worked in a number of ways to do my part by:
Voting for a budget modeled on the Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan;
Really? Jared Polis supports the Catfood Commission? Dated April 23? After the already suspect theories of Rogoff/Reinhart that underpinned the austerity argument which is the Simpson/Bowles' central point had been emphatically debunked?
Get a clue Congressman Polis. We're watching your votes and we're not stupid.