Guest Columnist - A Letter to Senator Bennet

Friends,
A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine sent an email to our newly appointed Colorado senator, Michael Bennet. I will let her speak for herself.

Date: Friday, March 6, 2009
Senator Bennet:

All I've seen so far out you, the rest of the Congress and the President is a huge waste of my tax payer money. How dare you even begin to hint that what you and all the other self-serving government officials have done so far is what I believe in or has done any of us any good. The only people you have served are those who were foolish enough to vote your party into power - I would hope that you would have more integrity than being such a lap-dog for the unions.

Exactly why, as a practicing Catholic would I think that reinstituting a program for sending money to foreign counties to support their abortion laws is a good thing?

Why would I think that sending $900 MILLION dollars to the terrorist organization of HAMAS in the Gaza Strip is something that is good and right?

Why would I think that this unbelievably HUGE bail out scheme is anything that I believe in or want to have happen?

Have you ever lived any place that had Nationalized Medicine. I sincerely doubt it so let me explain it to you since, I, Senator Bennett have lived with that type of health care.(Germany and Italy). If you think health care is expensive now, just wait. Not per unit of care expensive, but in the TAXES to support it, plus the co-pays that you'll have to fork over. Oh are you one of the delusional people who think that nationalized health care, once you've paid all your taxes is free??? Do you think and self-respecting doctors are going to continue to practice under those conditions. In the 1940's England instituted National Health Care and lost about half their doctors in the process. Why do you think Canadians seek to come to the States for specialized care? Because you might die waiting for care in Canada, or England or Germany or Italy. But then you won't have to worry about that will you Senator. YOU, won't be stuck with a system that will decide if you are too old to bother with other than to put you in hospice care until you conveniently die. There will be at least two separate classes of care. One for people in the Nationalized system and one for those rich enough to afford private health care. Oh yes and whatever wonderful health care system you people in Congress vote for yourselves.

You Senator and your ilk have done nothing for me, for people like me - why??? Because we paid our taxes, we paid our loans and mortgages on time, we played by the rules and NOW, NOW you want me and the righteous people like me to bail out companies that should go into bankruptcy, people who should have stayed in apartments or rented homes until they could afford a home, people who have taken out extravagant 2nd mortgages and lived the high life.
Well Senator, I live in a 1100 sq ft condo, I served my country faithfully for 27 yrs, I've worked every day since I retired in 2004 and now I'm being laid off and you want me to be HAPPY about the crap you and the Obama supporters are shoveling at me and people like me and be happy and proud to pay MORE taxes.

Sincerely yours, a very unhappy constituent

In fairness to the senator, he did send a reply.

Friend -
A little more than a month into my term as your U.S. Senator, we've taken bold steps in Washington to help American families and grow our economy.

We acted to provide quality, affordable health care to eleven million children from low-income families - because parents shouldn't have to choose between feeding their kids and filling their prescriptions.

We made sure every person in America, regardless of race, age or gender, receives fair and equal pay for equal work - because given the times, folks can't afford to take home any less than they're owed.

And we enacted an economic recovery plan that saves or creates 60,000 jobs in Colorado, cuts taxes for 2.1 Coloradans, and lays the foundation for long-term growth and prosperity.

I'm proud to have served with a core group of Senators that provided a leadership role in developing the details of this recovery plan to ensure it targets the help to the right areas.

I supported these measures because I know American families are struggling. I know because I've heard, first-hand, the stories of how this economic crisis has affected folks in rural and urban communities across the state.

These are important and significant steps. But as President Obama said to America in his speech before Congress, they are only first steps.

Americans are still losing their homes and folks are still finding credit harder and harder to come by.

Health care is still falling further out of reach and young people are dropping out of high school at an alarming rate.

And our dependence on foreign oil threatens our economy, our security and the health of our planet.

While the steps we have already taken - on children's health insurance, on an economic recovery plan that makes historic investments in education and energy - give us reason to be proud, there's still a lot of work to be done.

But we'll only realize the change we need once we understand our problems will not be solved with Republican or Democratic answers, but American answers.

We'll overcome the challenges we face not with petty politics as usual, but pragmatic policymaking that puts the American people first.

Surely, we will have our differences. But with a little common sense, I'm sure we can find common ground.

And although the road ahead will be tough, I'm confident that, together, we can get the job done.
Sincerely,

Senator Michael Bennet

The first thing that jumped out at me is that he obviously has had these concerns expressed before because his reply looks pretty canned. I have gone over it pretty carefully and am still looking for an answer to my friend’s concerns. My main concern with his response is that it advances unconstitutional behavior. I have read the Constitution fairly carefully and have yet to find where that wonderful document authorizes expenditures of this type. I’m not talking about just the magnitude of the expenditure, but the type of expenditure. Senator Bennet seems to be perfectly content to allow this country to gather speed down that socialist “nanny” state that he and his cronies have us going down.

As always, your comments and discussions are welcome.

If you want to help us fight this ever-pervasive liberal slippery slope join us at www.ccm-cos.com.

Dan

Daniel C. Lanotte
dlanotte@falconbroadband.net
719-683-5506