Writing Our Representatives

I firmly believe in writing our representatives to tell them where we stand on the current (and for that matter any bill). The following is a letter I wrote to one of my Senators.

Mrs. Hagan,

I wanted to write you regarding the stimulus bill being passed and discussed there in Washington. While I can agree that something needs to be done, I am opposed to the current bill. Every dollar the government spends is a dollar taken away from the private sector. For that reason every dollar spent by the government should be very carefully considered. While I don't agree with Keynesian economic theory (government spending is the way out of economic recessions), I am not naive enough to think that there is any one solution to this current economic problem and that I know what it is. If major government spending is needed (though I have read several economists theories' stating differently; see http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/), then every dollar spent should be accounted for and should generate more than a dollar's worth of actual stimulus (since leaving that money with the private sector would generate at least dollar for dollar). I want to see that level of accountability for this money. It seems that with the more money involved in the bill, the less concerned everyone is with larger amounts of money (ie, billions in spending seems to make the legislature ignore, or think less important, the "smaller" millions).

Personally I am a firm believer in allowing each individual American the freedom to do with their money what they would. Government exists only to protect those freedoms. That includes protecting our freedom to experience the consequences of our own decisions. If we make poor choices then we should suffer the consequences of those choices. I fully realize that sometimes those choices affect others who had no part of that decision making process (my home has dropped in value too even though I have been paying my mortgage faithfully). It is impossible for government to prevent or fix that, it is a part of life. Also If we make good choices and experience success, we shouldn't be looked down on because we were more successful than others. Saying that the middle class needs to be expanded and that those who have more money than the middle class should have to pay more in taxes is rediculous. I am in the lower middle of the middle class and I plan on moving out of the middle class as defined and move into the upper class. I don't want to push to reach that goal only to be taxed so much that it puts me effectively back into the middle class. To me, that is limiting my freedom.

Please do not support this bill. If it does get signed into law, then please be a leader in demonstrating accountability in the legislature and push for strict reporting. As a taxpayer I want to know, down to my level of budgeting every dollar, how the money is spent and its demonstrated effect. Government has already spent $3-400 Billion on this crisis with no demonstrated dollar for dollar results. Please don't let another trillion plus (this bill and the rest of TARP funds) be spent with the same lack of accountability.

Matt Hicken