Open Letter to Congress

I don't write because I think it will do any good. I write to let you know how exasperated I am.

I see and hear news of my representatives outlawing incandescent lights to clean up the planet and save energy. Not only do I want you stay out of the light business and leave me alone with my choice of lighting, but if that goal is within your purview they why do you prevent small nuclear power plants from powering neighborhoods and cities? It makes no sense that you would push clean energy, but not the best clean energy. Is it because you don't want neighborhoods or cities to have energy independence, energy independent of the government? For less money and in less time than it takes to extend I-69 from Indianapolis to Evansville, small cities across Indiana could be made energy independent. You don't want us to drive cars anyway, so why not put that money into nuclear energy?

I see and hear news of my representatives demanding corn be subsidized and taking it upon themselves to determine the proper mixture of gasoline and ethanol and work to find funds to push car companies toward flex cars that will run on a variety of fuels. Not only do I want you to stay out of the car business and gasoline business and leave me alone with my own choice of cars and fuels, but if your goal is to grow fuel, why not open up some of the thousands of acres of government land you've set aside to grow switch grass and leave farmers alone to grow food? It makes no sense that you would continue to subsidize farmers to grow things that are only profitable to them because my tax dollars bump up the price. It makes no sense to push for biofuels to save energy when it takes more energy to create biofuels, not to mention all the pesticides and fertilizers required to grow sizable corn crops.

I see and hear news of my representatives voting themselves a budget increase when all the world is tightening their belts. If you had less money, less staff and fewer supplies, perhaps you wouldn't take it upon yourself to try to change everything in America at once. Perhaps then you would find the time to write and read your own legislation, perhaps you would only tackle one thing at a time instead of trying to change the climate of the Earth and overhaul the entire American health care industry at the same time, after just weeks of study and less discussion. Perhaps if you had less staff, you wouldn't spend time on things like same-sex marriage, boondoggle trips all over the world, and sending off junk mail for name recognition throughout the year. Perhaps if Congress had less staff, a smaller budget, and fewer gatekeepers, criminals like Charlie Rangel, influence peddlers like Chris Dodd, and family businesses like John Murtha would have to answer to the people instead of being above the law.

My representatives are supposed to be accountable for their votes, not pass hidden, late night climate and bailout bills nobody has ever read -- bills that haven't even been written somehow become law! What's with that? My representatives are supposed to be frugal with my tax money, not attach hidden voter bribes and earmarks to legislation and hope nobody finds out. In the end, my representatives are supposed to, and have taken a vow to, protect the Constitution... so why do they use their oversight powers to belittle and ruin ex professional athletes instead of investigating the FCC threatening to take over radio stations, or the FTC trying to control free speech, or the NEA trying to bribe artists to support the Administration, or ACORN and associates rigging votes and breaking countless laws.

The Left blames the low approval ratings of Congress on the Right and the Right blames the Left... I plan to just blame my own representatives, whether they are Left or Right, and kick them out the next chance I get.