Dear Congress,

Dear Congress,

The first amendment to our constitution states;

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Most specifically, I wish to take advantage of my right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. As a tax paying, voting citizen I expect attention to each and every one of them and further demand a timely, concise reply. By the way, a few resignations are expected. My grievances are as follows;

1.I work at least five days a week, only to discover that a full one third of my gainful employment, over the course of my lifetime is spent filling the trough of government for people and special interest groups to feed at. The founding of this country entailed no income tax and I find it obscene that money is taken from my pay long before I see it and spent on things I wholly disagree with.

2.Those who actually spent precious blood in the birthing of America never envisioned the elected political leaders of this country as full time cronies suckling at the teat of hard working patriots. The valorous members of the first continental congress received no pay and actually pledged their fortunes to stake this honorable endeavor we now know as these United States. They served because of their love of country. Today I am forced to endure carnival hucksters who have made a career of politics and retiring millionaires. Modern day politicos cannot be distinguished between prostitutes or politicians. Though, at least prostitutes can take a shower at the end of the day, “night” and become clean again. Politicians will forever have the stench of corruption upon them and carry it to their maker. My only hope is that as they approach those pearly gates John Adams and Thomas Jefferson are waiting outside the fence with axe handles and pitchforks.

3.Our constitution allows our federal government very limited powers. After all, the framers were separating from an oppressive King George and trusted not another monolithic entity. No, our founders entrusted freedom in, “we the people” and limited the scope of governmental intrusion into the lives of the electorate. Federal powers as enumerated in article one, two and three of our constitution strictly limit federal authority in three, “and only three” areas of federal injection into our lives. That being; provide for a common defense, settle disputes between the several states only in the arena of commerce and negotiate international treaties. Done, fini, end of story. Those of you in congress have not only adulterated our sacred constitution you have belied those great men’s virtue who made it possible for you to breathe freedom.

4. “To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.” — Thomas Jefferson, letter to Joseph Milligan, April 6, 1816

“A wise and frugal government… shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.” — Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801

“Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated.” — Thomas Jefferson

“The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If ‘Thou shalt not covet’ and ‘Thou shalt not steal’ were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free.” — John Adams, A Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, 1787

“With respect to the two words ‘general welfare,’ I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators.” — James Madison in a letter to James Robertson

In 1794, when Congress appropriated $15,000 for relief of French refugees who fled from insurrection in San Domingo to Baltimore and Philadelphia, James Madison stood on the floor of the House to object saying:

“I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.” — James Madison, 4 Annals of Congress 179, 1794

“[T]he government of the United States is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like the state governments, whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government.” — James Madison

Those quotes should give pause to all elected federal representation. For instance, reflect if you will the fate of Benito Mussolini. For ignoring the expressed will and intent of our founding documents, the sacrament and cornerstone of this republic a fate awaits you long winded public servants. Whether it is here or in eternity; to take money from one person and give it to someone unknown by the donor is almost blasphemous and surely damnable. By rewarding failure and punishing success you have guaranteed more of one and less of the other.

5.Though I can’t speak for God I do spend a great portion of my waking and slumber hours speaking to him. By atoning to the poor by keeping them impoverished I suspect there will be a special place in hell for you. You have positioned the poor against the rich in the cage match for the ages. Instead of holding up success as attainable and an example to those unwashed downtrodden plebes you have incited class warfare and scorned success. Thereby, assigning the impoverished as your voting block and ensuring continued poverty thus discarding lives.

6.Finally, yet not completely by any means, I’m on to you; I get it. The only difference between you and a bag of excrement is the bag and on reflection, perhaps comparing you to excrement is an insult to excrement. I think I can speak for all Americans when I say this; we as a people have figured this out. You rubes in $30 dollar suits show up in Washington and after thirty years of bending over the American taxpayer you retire as multi-millionaires. And, know this; that glow you see just over the Potomac is the growing crowd of, “we the people” lighting our torches and sharpening our pitchforks. Sleep tight.

Conservative Springfield 30 OCT 08