Like so much material that's e-mailed these days, this letter was sent by a "friend of a friend," but is worth reading. In whispered voices throughout the land, people are wondering if these are the last days, especially when you consider how quickly the health of our once-great Republic has declined.
Family and Friends,
I doubt that there are any who are not aware of my overall political feelings, and although I am always willing to discuss political issues, I have never been one to join political movements or become seriously engaged in campaigning for candidates or issues. I would consider myself one of the “silent majority.” However, I feel that we are at a point in our country where I can no longer remain on the sideline; I can no longer remain silent. Edmond Burke, an 18th Century British politician and philosopher stated, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” He further declared, “No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” I believe that this statement applies to me and to the situation I am currently facing. I have, therefore, decided to speak out and to invite all others I know to join in a chorus of protest that will send a clear message to our elected leaders that the course they currently have set us on is a course leading to disaster.
Over the past year Congress has passed bills that were hundreds, if not thousands of pages long; bills that were purported by our leaders as “Must Pass” legislation or the country would fall apart. As a result of this emergency legislation, we now have spent hundreds of billions of dollars to bail out private companies, stimulate the economy, and this is in addition to a massive budget that creates a two trillion dollar yearly deficit. After all of these crisis actions we learn that our representatives, not only do not read the bills they vote on, but in most cases they don’t even know what is in them. On several occasions, we have representatives, who later admit that they were not aware that a particular item was in a bill that they sponsored, co-sponsored, or helped draft and then later voted for. This type of reckless legislative action is justified because “we are in such a crisis that there are no other alternatives.” Today, everything has become a crisis, and as one government official stated, “You never let a serious crisis go to waste.” These crises have resulted in some of the worst legislation ever written in our country, being passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. Now Congress is about to pass a health care bill that will destroy the best health care system in the world. Is there a need to reform some of our health care laws? Of course there is. But what is being proposed in Congress will not improve health care—it will only ration health care and set the government up as the final arbitrator of who gets health care and what care they receive. And don’t kid yourself that it will be cheaper. I would like anyone to name one government program that has ever been implemented that did not cost several times more than what the proponents said it would cost. If this current health care proposal is such a great plan, why has Congress expressly exempted its members from the plan and set up a separate plan for themselves? Are you aware that Congress has a history of exempting itself from requirements and mandates that it imposes on the rest of the citizenry? It reminds me of the book I read in high school titled Animal Farm by George Orwell. The book published in 1945 is perhaps the most satirical allegory of Soviet totalitarianism. I have not read this book for over 40 years, but I have never forgotten the tenant which originally declared: “All animals are created equal!” This tenant was somehow later changed to read, “All animals are created equal, but some animals are created more equal than others.” I believe that our life long politicians have started behaving like Orwell’s pigs who set about creating a society where all were equal, but very soon the ruling pigs become “more equal” than the other animals. I believe that this proposed health care bill will be the final nail that will forever seal tight the coffin containing the Constitution of the United States. If this health bill passes, a bill that will have the government controlling 1/5 of our economy, the march forward to total government control of our lives will be almost impossible to stop—and the Constitution will soon become a worn out document which, having outlived its usefulness, will have to be buried. In fact, that is the same type of language our president has implied about the need to limit the health care for senior citizens who have reached the point where they need to accept the fact that it is time to just pass away.
The destruction of a constitutional government has happened before, and is currently happening in other countries, where there is a crisis and the citizens are voting into power individuals who claim that the only way they can solve the crises is to give the government more power. Soon the governing elite have sufficient power and they are able to replace the constitution with a more appropriate document that fits the current needs of the county and unfortunately the citizens agree that they have no choice but to approve the necessary changes. This situation is what happened in Nazi Germany and what is currently happening with Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. Please do not kid yourself that this could never happen here. A year ago, I would never have believed that we would be in a situation where the government could have taken control of many of our banks and two of our national automobile manufacturing firms. We now have a car czar along with twenty of more other czars who actually wield more power than the various cabinet secretaries. These czars are neither elected by the people, nor confirmed by Congress!
I could go on and on about my fear for the direction this nation is heading, but I think you get my point. Edward Everett Hale, an American clergyman and writer said, “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, that I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do.” I believe the time has come for me, and for every other concerned citizen to get off the sidelines and start doing something to ensure that the freedoms we all hold so dear are not snatched from us and from our children by despots claiming to save us from the crisis of the day.
If you do not agree with me, simply delete this letter and let me know that you do not wish to receive any further correspondence from me regarding this matter. If, however, you like me, have been part of the “silent majority” all of your life, I am asking you to remain silent no longer. Pick up your phone today and call your Representative and both of your Senators and let them know you are opposed to the reckless and wasteful spending that has been passed recently by Congress, and specifically you are opposed to the health care bill that is being ramroded through Congress today. In addition, I ask that you write to members of your family and other friends that you regularly e-mail, and ask them to do the same. Together, if we each do a little, we can accomplish a much. Yes, we can make a difference!
Thanks for reading and responding to my lengthy request.
Brent Hawker
Senator Mark Udall ph. 202-224-5941
Senator Michael Bennet ph. 202-224-5852
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