Virtual Fridays Without Fitzpatrick (VFWF) 47
In Response To Your 12/31/21 Newsletter
My Dream of a Better New Year Newsletter
Each year New Year’s Eve brings the promise of a new year filled with hope for a better world for all. It could be a time for a leader to express a vision of values and goals to inspire action by all in the coming months.
I read your 12/31/21 weekly newsletter and was again sadly disappointed. It was extremely empty, even compared to your previous missives. It smacked of someone tired and complacent, too long within the beltway, and firmly out of touch with the burning issues of the day. So I dreamed of what newsletter I might have read last night and even still, hope for better leadership in the coming year:
My PA-01 Constituents:
It has been a rough year for all of us, but I am always grateful for the opportunity you have given me to represent you as your Congressperson during these trying times.
Like so many others in my Republican Party, I too have failed you in all of these areas: protecting our democracy, handling the COVID pandemic, dealing with climate change, providing healthcare for all, getting big money out of politics, and listening to your needs and concerns in town halls.
So I promise to you, as the new year begins, to do better.
I will speak out daily against all who support the Big Lie because it is undermining our democracy. I will fully support the Committee investigating the January 6th, 2021 insurrection and encourage all to do so as well since those responsible for it must be brought to justice and what transpired that day must never happen again. I will volunteer to join the Committee as well because their work is so critical to the survival of our democracy. And I will speak out against all who supported this insurrection on its anniversary date, January 6, 2022, from the floor of the House.
Furthermore, the Republican Party leadership, instead of constantly rebuking this Big Lie, supports it even more by using it as a pretext to pass voter suppression laws and install biased election officials in key battleground states. So I will lobby for the passing of federal voting rights legislation which will establish standards across our nation for free and fair elections. I will fight for legislation which will not make it more difficult for certain Americans to vote, but ensure that all Americans have easy access to voting in every election.
I will speak out against all who are politicizing the public safety measures that are being taken to end this COVID pandemic. I will encourage all to be vaccinated, to practice social distancing, and to wear masks in public indoor places and lobby for mandates on these practices as well. Americans are dying because of misinformation spread by political leaders for their personal political agendas. That shameful deadly political pandering must be stopped now.
Climate change is the biggest threat to human and other species survival. It must be addressed quickly, forcefully and must not be denied. I will not pander to fossil fuel corporations any longer, but will support the climate change investments in alternative energy industries in the Build Back Better legislation. I will call out all who shamefully deny climate change as they cash fat campaign contribution checks from Big Oil.
Healthcare is a human right for all. I will constantly fight for universal healthcare with equal affordable access to medical services and medicine for all. Americans die every day because they cannot afford quality healthcare. This injustice and cruelty must stop.
Big money in politics is strangling our democracy. I am therefore capping my expenditures for this upcoming campaign at $500,000 and all contributors will be clearly and publicly documented. Candidates should not be swayed by the interests of big money donors, but by the interest of the common good for all citizens. While we are on this subject, let me say I am limiting the number of my lawn signs to 5,000 small signs. The lawn sign wars have gotten totally out of hand. Candidates waste money on objects that end up in landfills and cause an ugly blight on our highways. We should not be deciding on candidates based on their lawn signs, but on the content of their character, their values, and their platforms. I urge all candidates to follow suit.
A leader must stay in touch with constituents. I am therefore announcing a series of monthly town halls (either via Zoom or in person depending on the status of the pandemic) so that constituents of all political parties can ask unscripted questions of me and hear my honest immediate responses. Representatives should not be hiding from their constituents, but should have the courage to listen to their questions and concerns in public.
I am sorry I have failed you on these issues in the past, but hope to do better in the new year so together, all of us can truly have a happy new year.
Your humble Congressperson.