My message to Jean Schmidt regarding the debt ceiling

Congresswoman Schmidt,

I am writing you to express my concern regarding the impending default of the United States if you and the rest of your caucus do not stop playing these petty political games with our country's future.

I agree that there are cuts that need to be made on the federal, state, and local level to the budget to help reign in some of the issues we currently face, however I do not believe that cuts alone are the magic bean that will cure all of our issues.

Let's take a look at just the small part of your district that I reside in, the Mount Carmel/Union Township/Batavia area.

Since you have taken over as our representative, our area has seen unprecedented job loss. The closing of the Ford plant, Biggs in Eastgate, numerous small businesses in the area just to name a few.  Now I'm not naive enough to hold you accountable for the recession in general nor the local impact of that recession. I do however question your commitment to us in how to best recover from these hits to our local economy, friends, and family.

We've had 30 years since the hero of your party, Ronald Reagan, first sold us on the pipe dream of "trickle down economics." 30 years to see it's utter lack of legitimacy on a grand scale and detrimental impact to the economy as a whole.

The rich have indeed gotten richer. They have seen their taxes lowered and their salaries increased exponentially. So how long do I need to wait for that to trickle down to me? I was fortunate (I thought) last year to receive a raise from my employer, only to turn around and see my hours cut. I am projected to make 10% less this year than less, but my cost of living has not declined it has increased.

Meanwhile my company (and many others) are posting record profits. When does it trickle down?

I beg of you, Congresswoman Schmidt, to look past the rubber stamp you have been accused of being for your party and look instead at actually representing the VAST majority of us in your district who are hurting, need these public programs short term and require the wealthiest among us to step up to the plate for the good of the nation.  End these absurd tax loopholes and corporate welfare that sends our hard earned tax dollars to companies that do not need them.