Posted by
rider237 on Monday, December 21, 2009 11:49:50 AM
Senator Whitehouse,
I read these comments this morning.
"Voting 'no' and hiding from the vote are the same result. Those of us on the floor see it. It was clear the three of them who did not cast their yes votes until all 60 Senate votes had been tallied and it was clear that the result was a foregone conclusion. And why? Why all this discord and discourtesy, all this unprecedented destructive action? All to break the momentum of our new young president.
They are desperate to break this president. They have ardent supporters who are nearly hysterical at the very election of President Barack Obama. The birthers, the fanatics, the people running around in right-wing militia and Aryan support groups, it is unbearable to them that President Barack Obama should exist. That is one powerful reason. It is not the only one."
Did you really say that? Do you really believe what you said? I think you do. Well, let me introduce myself because I think I am a good representative of the over 50% of us who do not want what you and the president are selling.
I am an almost over the hill, semi-retired, small farm owning, former military, female. I have a husband, kids, and grandkids. I have never protested, bombed anything, or engaged in any kind of violence.
I am not a "birther", although I fail to see why the president would not do the simple thing and produce a birth certificate since this seems to be a problem for him. I do not belong to a militia, although I own guns and know how to use them. I would be pleased to defend my constitution if call upon to do so. I don't know any Aryans. Don't even know where to find any. Unlike you folks, I don't care what color my president is. Don't care what gender he/she is. I only care about their ideology.
I'd like to think that what you are doing is out of some mis-placed sense of concern for the people, but less and less can I accept that. Europe began it's slide into socialism in the 20's. The results have been an economic and social disaster. There is no way for you to have missed that.
Even Ben Franklin knew that what you are doing is wrong:
I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.
Benjamin Franklin, On the Price of Corn and Management of the Poor, November 1766
You can hardly say that he was unconcerned about the population, yet he knew that the government "fixing" things led to more thing needing fixed. He also understood that the government produced and earned nothing. You can do nothing without first taking from the people.
If you are having a hard time understanding the people who oppose you, I have a list of reading material that might help. You can start with reading the constitution. That would be the Constitution of The United States. If you have trouble understanding that, try the Federalist Papers, and other writings of the founders. Let me know when you are done, because there are many more recommended readings, and I can make you a list.
We are not the radical fringe. I know it comforts you to label us that way. What we are, is the WE in We The People. We the people were admonished by the founders to keep control of our government. Through our own lack of attention we failed to do this. If you and your young president have done anything for us, it is to wake us up to our failings. For that, We thank you.