Border Tax?

Fox News and Opinion Dynamics released new poll results yesterday indicating that 52% of Americans would be willing to pay an additional $100 per year in taxes to defend the border. Excuse me? Am I missing something here? Is it not the first and foremost duty of the government of our nation to protect its citizens?

No one is more hawkish on border security than yours truly. I would like to see the border so tightly secured that not even a mouse could breach it. But the exorbitant taxes I already pay are, or at least should be, more than adequate to protect whatever small chunk of the border (actually borders -- the northern border needs protection, too) is my personal responsibility. Rather than assessing additional taxes to perform their first duty, I would like to direct the government to take my $100 from one of their many pork barrel earmarks -- perhaps from a study of the effects of bovine emissions on the atmosphere, or the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere".

It appears that more than half of our citizens have not read, or do not understand, the Constitution of the United States, the preamble of which guarantees our security. Notably absent from the Constitution is any passage granting our representatives the right to indiscriminately redistribute the wealth of all for the pleasures of few. The idea that it is somehow acceptable for our federal tax dollars to be used to build parking lots, museums and a multitude of other pet projects which are of questionable value even to the residents in the immediate vicinity is absurd. The federal government is seizing increasingly more power, usually without our knowledge and always without our permission. It is time to take back our nation.

Nothing is going to change if we continue to support the status quo. As long as the abuses of our freedom are shrugged off by the abused, they will continue. Communications with our representatives are answered with form letters, often form letters indicating that the content of our communication was not noted or understood. I have received such letters from more than one of my own representatives, thanking me for my support of the very issue I wrote to vehemently protest, or addressing an issue that was in no way remotely connected to my original communication. They are no longer listening to their constituents, but rather are playing the political power game -- every public action is designed to garner re-election support, every private action to further their own personal position. This is unacceptable.

As voters, it is our responsibility to know what our elected officials are doing. If we do not educate ourselves and insist on more from those we elect, we will deserve whatever crumbs they choose to toss our way.

An Open Letter to the United States Congress from a concerned citizen

I am, by any standard, an American. My ancestors fought with George Washington at Valley Forge, stood proudly with both the North and the South during the Civil War, served in both World Wars and, at every turn, have unwaveringly supported the tactics and tenets of this great Nation. Patriotism and loyalty to country are deeply ingrained in my line – my gratitude to the men and women who gave their lives for my freedom is immeasurable.

With this history, it is nearly implausible to me that I find it necessary to write this letter.

I represent the Silent Majority, the mainstream American citizen who has found it increasingly difficult to remain silent, and who can no longer bear to passively allow the behaviors of our representative government to go unchecked without speaking my mind. It appears that a reminder is needed, that the purpose of your appointment has been forgotten, that the tremendous responsibility which rests upon your shoulders has been cast callously aside for personal interest and political gain. I implore you to read my words, and, much more importantly, to comprehend their gravity and correct our course before this great Nation is lost.

You are a Public Servant. Your first responsibility is to represent the interests of your constituents to the best of your ability. You do not work for a special interest group, a lobbyist, or personal gain. You are no more accountable to a wealthy and influential voter than to a homeless child. Your personal feelings, beliefs and morals are irrelevant – when you accepted your position you agreed to sacrifice your own desires for the greater good. It is not your job to judge those you serve or those with whom you serve. It is your duty to put others first, to forfeit your own wishes, if necessary, to best represent those who appointed you their trusted servant.

It is not in the best interest of your citizens to watch your histrionic posturing for the news cameras. We are not impressed by your ability to impede progress on every front. We do not appreciate your pomposity and bravado – we do not applaud your willingness to squander our hard earned wages with complete disregard. We voted for you, hired you, if you will, because we believed you were equal to the task. We gave you our collective voice and trusted you to use it not to defame, but to uplift; not to encumber, but to facilitate. You are failing us. This is your annual review, and your performance is abysmal.

The threats we face in today’s global climate are entirely too real and horrific to be overlooked for a single second. As a nation, we are the target of intense animosity from every corner of the globe. There are real dragons for you to slay – it is not necessary for you to battle your fellow elected officials in an attempt to gain our admiration and respect.

We are in desperate need of leadership – honest, cooperative, selfless leadership from a body of people more concerned with the fate of their nation than their personal chances for re-election. We have thirsted so long for persons of action, for leaders who make a difference, for someone to give us hope.

The decline of our society is apparent at every turn. Children kill other children or, worse, are slain by their own parents. Drugs, alcohol, poverty and depravity are fixtures on the evening news. Bigotry and racism, though no longer blatant in day to day existence for most of us, still worm their way through our lives, all too often used as political ploys by your members. As a people, we are losing our desire to willingly help others because our elected officials have their hands deep in our pockets, redistributing our wealth to suit their whims, leaving us in doubt of our ability to survive. The example being set for us is one of conflict and corruption, not cooperation, and the message you send is not making us better but draining us of our will to better ourselves.

We implore you to use your powers of reason not to find new and inventive ways to thwart those across the aisle, but to restore our Nation to its former glory. We beg you to apply the creativity you exhibit in so many negative and immoral ways to reducing the national debt, improving our security, and restoring our pride in our country. Please, before it is too late, remember your responsibilities and those you serve – show us that our faith in you wasn’t misplaced. Allow us, once again, to be proud to be Americans.