Based on what both Joe and Lee have distributed, I think my current efforts to influence Mr. Poe might be of interest. I hand delivered the attached to his Kingwood Office and personally gave it to several of his staff. This week I sent it to the Kingwood Observer Editors with my request to publish it as an Open Letter to Ted Poe. Assuming both Ted’s staff and the editors of the paper filed it into File 13, here is a copy. Admittedly it is too long for Ted’s attention span or the Observer’s Letters to the Editor standards. However it is not a letter to the editor. It is an Open Response to Ted’s overly simplistic bumper sticker beliefs. That is where the devil resides. A bumper Sticker response does no justice to the issues involved.
Feel free to use my thoughts in any way you think can promote returning to political sanity in Kingwood, as if we ever had any.
Bruce Olson
A Response to Representative Ted Poe’s July 6, 2011 email statement of what he believes.
While I respect you as my Congressman I believe your recently declared beliefs deserve objective and critical comment.
I am an American, the same as you, no more, no less. You are my elected Representative and I thank you for your dedication and hard work. I expect you to carry out your Constitutional responsibilities with integrity and honor and I believe you do so.
Your primary responsibility is to represent the people of Texas Congressional District 2 in their best interests in accordance with our Constitution. The Preamble, by its single sentence, establishes the entire reason for the United States of America to exist. Everything else the Constitution says and what our government does is intended to support that reason to be.
As an American I too have responsibilities. I should support and defend the Constitution and my country. That includes advising you of my beliefs and recommendations. I should never assume you have no interest or cannot be influenced by them.
When I advise you of my beliefs and why, I expect you to consider them in the context of what our Constitution demands of us and our government. That is my purpose with this Response; to provide my positions in good faith in the hope you will consider them as you represent me.
I list your 6 guiding beliefs, as distributed on July 6, 2011. My italicized response follows each. I thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Bruce Olson,
Citizen, Kingwood, Texas, United States of America
Per Ted Poe: This is What I Believe:
1. I believe in GOD. We are a nation founded on Christian principles, and I feel the separation of church and state has been taken to extremes in certain cases. Religion is under attack in the U.S. We need to correct this now.
My Response:
I believe in the Constitution. We are a nation of laws; laws designed and intended to promote and protect We The People. Whether and how I believe in God is my business, not the State’s. The Government’s mandate includes protecting each of us from unwanted impositions of religious beliefs, including the sometimes conflicting beliefs of a Christian religion defined a thousand different ways. I believe in the principals of respect and care as championed by the great religious leaders of the world including Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, Moses, and others including Gandhi, King and Mandela. I believe the Constitution not only guarantees my freedom of religious choice but also mandates that religious practices be conducted separate and independent of the pubic domain. Yes, Religion is under attack; but as much by various Christians as by Muslims or anyone else. The imposition of any religious prayer on any individual’s religious freedom is an attack justifiably prohibited, especially in our children’s public classrooms. That is what is Constitutional. It is the government’s obligation to govern accordingly.
2. I believe in America – LIMITED GOVERNMENT – LIMITED SPENDING – LIMITED TAXING – LIMITED BORROWING. It’s time for the Administration to realize that when you’re in a hole, you stop digging. It’s time to cut up the Government’s credit cards!
I too believe in America – Limited Government but big enough to meet the responsibilities of the Constitution and big enough to adequately regulate Big Business, Big Labor, Big Finance and the Big Abuse. –Limited Spending and enough fairly levied taxes to generate the required revenue for the government to defend us and fulfill all of its legally established obligations. Signing any pledge, including a “no tax increase pledge” to someone outside of your District, specifically in this case to a man named Grover, is not an appropriate representation of your District. You owe your allegiance to the Constitution and to the people of your District and no one else. – Limited Borrowing restricted, not by a specific ideology but by a Congress governing for the greater good. When the economic pump of Capitalism is broken or empty it needs to be fixed and primed. That is a fact not a belief. Its failed condition represents a fatal threat to our society. In the absence of adequate private money, it requires fixing and priming with government money, real money on real stuff, not tax cuts in the face of deficits and wars. It and defense spending to meet specific and immediate threats are the only legitimate exceptions to the policy of Limited Borrowing. Most Americans would agree that spending for surgery or a defibrillator for the immediate heart attack takes precedence over any long term weight loss diet. If that takes using our credit card to get it done, it is better than dying. The same holds true for the country in times of economic crisis and war. And once used, the credit card company must be paid back. That is the law.
3. I believe in the CONSTITUTION and will tirelessly defend it from the numerous attacks by liberals. The Constitution does not allow the Government to require you to buy anything – not healthcare or a box of donuts. The Constitution does not allow the President to go to war indefinitely without consulting with Congress. I believe in the freedom to own a gun, to pray in school, to start your own business and to live your life outside of the watchful eye of big brother.
I too believe in and defend the Constitution. I expect my elected Congressman to support its requirements to provide for national defense and promote the general Welfare of We the People, who are the Nation. I am tired of being always labeled by those who differ as a Liberal and attacker of our Constitution. I am an American first and foremost. The terms Liberal and Conservative are not the issue, they are smokescreens. The issues are how to best uphold the Constitution and promote its mandates. Long before the Healthcare
Reform Act, laws have required us to buy and pay for things. We are required to pay taxes for limited wars I may oppose because the People, through our government say so. I am required to buy and use seat belts on public roads. I am required to buy vaccinations for my kids when they go to school. I pay government mandated fees for everything from phone service to government surcharges. Why? Because doing so promotes the general Welfare. The law obligating all to pay for insurance for access to basic healthcare is as “Constitutional” as the imposition of any other legally established obligation. It promotes the general Welfare no matter how the lawyers twist the language. I believe Congress is tasked with declaring our Wars. However, no war has been declared since WWII. Congress has allowed not only Obama but every President back through Eisenhower to wage military actions without adequate consultation. Congress is to blame. Congress should fix it. It has impeached presidents over much less important issues. I believe in the freedom and right to own a gun and I do. However, I do not believe in the freedom to abuse that right or encourage assault weapons, rapid fire high capacity handguns, and inadequate public safety laws in the name of non existing “well regulated militias”. That is both stupid and wrong. I believe in my right to prayer; and the right not to pray. I do not believe in making others in public places pray with me or alter their own routines for my prayers. Muslims have tried it on airlines and, given a precedent, they will demand it in schools. I believe I should be able to start my own business. I also believe my business should meet appropriate health and safety requirements for the good of We the People. I value my privacy and prefer to live my life beyond the eye of any Big Brother. That includes Big Brothers among my employers, big business, my church, the press, or anyone else. However, as in sports, good government depends on fair rules with strong referees. Ours is no different. A Big Brother, acting in the role of referee may be needed by We the People through our appropriate branches of government. All Big Brothers must be authorized and well regulated. That is the legitimate responsibility of government, for the good of We the People.4. I believe in ACCOUNTABILITY in our foreign affairs. We currently provide Foreign Aid in one massive bill to every country in the world. It’s time we assess each country one-by-one. We cannot pay countries to like us, and those countries that act against our interests – like Pakistan – should not receive a dime of U.S. Foreign Aid. I support aid to countries that are our allies and ardent supporters, like Israel.
I too believe in ACCONTABILITY in our foreign affairs. You are the Congressman. Please Fix it. Who are our most ardent supporters besides Israel and who are not? Are you really sure about Israel? Is India more ardent than Iraq or Egypt? What can I do to help?
5. I believe in LEGAL IMMIGRATION. We must secure the border first then determine the best way to deal with people that are here illegally. Amnesty in any form is not the answer. This nation must have the moral will to enforce our immigration laws and protect our country’s borders as we do for other nations.
I believe in Legal Immigration and of course am against illegal immigration. Yes we must secure our borders as soon as possible. Why haven’t we? Is it too expensive? A simple fence or wall is better than what we have now in lots of places. What about the Canadian border? Don’t some of the bad guys come from there? Regarding the millions of illegal immigrants already here, we cannot wait for fixing the borders. The disaster can only get worse if we wait. The Realist in me says it is folly to try to apprehend and deport ten million people. We looked the other way when they came to do our dirty underpaid work. Now we have to face the reality largely of our own making. To try to deport them all will tear apart families, separate thousands of American children from parents and generate a massive hatred on both sides of our borders. Worse, the world will compare us to Nazis with their trains to hell. Such an unrealistic solution will damage our Nation to its very bones. I believe the only realistic solution, the place between the rock and the hard spot, is one that gives these people a choice: leave at your own expense or stay and pay. Require a significant penalty to be paid over an extended probation of several years, meeting standards along the way such as English proficiency. At the end of the probation they get a Green Card as legal alien residents. They then become eligible to apply for citizenship just as any other legally qualified resident alien. Such a process is a probated sentence for breaking the law. It has penalties and obligations involving time served and fines paid. It restricts rights and benefits. It is not amnesty. It can provide a good outcome for all involved. I too have the will to enforce our laws including the Healthcare Reform Act and stepped up lawful deportations until current laws are lawfully changed. It is ironic that our President is now deporting more illegal immigrants than President Bush ever did. For enforcing the law he is criticized from all directions including both the Right and the Left.
6. I believe in OUR TROOPS. I recently traveled to Iraq where I visited our troops there – remarkable. We enjoy our freedoms because of our all-volunteer Armed Forces, the finest in the world.
I too believe in OUR TROOPS. You have recently traveled to Iraq for a political visit, valuable briefings and some really good photo ops. Yes that is- remarkable. I hope you are able to use that combat zone experience in the best interests of We the People as you represent us in Congress. And yes, OUR ALL-VOLUNTEER TROOPS ARE REMARKABLE AND THEY ARE THE FINEST IN THE WORLD.
A long time ago I served with pride and honor in Vietnam, not as a politician, but as a soldier and specifically as the result of the draft. I cancelled my induction by enlisting in the Air Force through Officer Training School. That officially made me a “Volunteer”, just as you were a volunteer when you were able to get into the Air Force Reserve during those tumultuous times. I believe my own circumstances beg the question of whether I, in spirit, was really a volunteer. I also know that many of today’s soldiers are serving, not so much as volunteers but more because of personal conditions they find untenable, given the weak economy, high unemployment and poverty often made worse by location and race. Yes, we in America enjoy our freedoms because of our Armed Forces, the finest in the world. However, as in Vietnam, Korea and WWII and all the time in between, they are the finest in the world, not because they are volunteers but because they are dedicated and proud to serve America. Some are not even Americans and a few may be illegal immigrants. Remarkable
I am tired of the Administration telling us what it thinks we need. What we need is for the Government to get out of our way and let us live our lives. We need a Government that minds its business. We need a Government that empowers people, not one that focuses on entitling people.
What we need is to ignore the soap box orators of simplistic rhetoric and insist our government governs in We the People’s best interests, not what Big Business, Big Unions, and Big Special Interests buy from Big Political Parties with Big Money. While we demand a government that minds its business, we need a government that limits its business to protecting and promoting the people’s business. Yes, we need a government that empowers people, but not one that sets them up for financial and economic pillage by “special interests” who buy the votes of government. I am tired of the abuse of the word “entitlements” by all political sid
es. Entitlements are financial obligations by governments created by the demand of the people. Some are for reasons of humanity like, welfare and Medicaid. Others are like insurance policies such as Medicare. Still others are like annuities i.e. Social Security, paid into in good faith with a binding contract to the people for a fair return on investment. The obligations are not the issue, the refusal to pay them is. When we focus too narrowly on only reducing entitlements to cut costs and the deficit we ignore the Constitutional objectives and mandates in the first place. Instead Congress and the Executive get mired down in smoke screens of competing ideologies and economic theories and do nothing. That is not a government that minds its business. It is a government that fails to do our business. That is a government no longer by and for the people.I am a Texan and proud of it. But, more importantly I am an American. Years ago, as an Air Force Officer, I took an oath, similar to your Congressional Oath, to defend and support America and our Constitution. I did so in war and continue to do so today. I take my responsibilities of citizenship seriously. I know from experience that much popular rhetoric, the political press and media confuse and mislead, often by design. You may not remember, but two years ago I sat next to you for two hours in your Kingwood Office with other constituents to discuss healthcare reform. Most in the room supported the basic idea that all should be able to get good healthcare. I was not surprised when it became obvious that I was the only one who openly believed the government could legally mandate equal and affordable access to healthcare under the Preamble of the Constitution. But I was also dismayed at the number of people who believed inaccurate rhetoric about government death panels and threats to their Medicare. I appreciated your efforts to communicate with and represent all of us, in good faith, in spite of my disagreement with your positions on many if not most of the issues.
Representative Poe, even though you may not agree with many of my beliefs and comments, I hope you give them serious thought. They are reasonable and are meant to provide positive input as you represent me and my fellow citizens. They are not ranting attacks. They are what they are; my strong beliefs about our Constitution and the role our government should play in our lives as Americans.