Posted on 07/18/2011 7:28:19 AM PDT by old3030
July 18, 2011
Dear Mr. and Mrs. xxxxxxxx,
Thank you for contacting me regarding the debt limit. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.
Americans have made it clear that they want the federal government to reduce spending. I agree and have made fiscal responsibility a centerpiece of my Senate service since the day I arrived. It is time to get our fiscal house in order.
I have never requested an earmark and I worked tirelessly to ban earmarks from Congress. As Chair of the Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight, I have been working to root out waste and fraud in government contracting, especially at the Defense Department. I sponsored Pay-As-You-Go legislation that requires any new tax cuts or spending to be deficit neutral. With Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, I fought to impose binding caps on discretionary spending that came within one vote of passing the Senate. I have also introduced a bill requiring the federal government to balance its budget - if states are required to balance their budgets, then so should the federal government.
However, as you are well aware, we will soon have to vote to raise our nation's debt limit. Raising the debt limit is a bitter pill to swallow. Unfortunately, the alternative, defaulting on our obligations, will be far worse. Raising the debt ceiling is not like asking for a higher limit on your credit card. Refusing to raise it is like going out and buying a new car and failing to make payments on it. Ironically, many of those saying they are opposed to raising the debt limit actually voted for the spending that is requiring that we raise the limit.
Every financial institution in this country - including our small community banks in places like Cape Girardeau - holds U.S. Treasury bonds and uses them to conduct routine transactions. If the federal government were to default on its debt obligations, these banks, and any other of the millions of entities that hold U.S. Treasury bonds, would go from holding one of the most secure, safest investments in the world to something worth pennies on the dollar. Interest rates would climb dramatically, America would no longer have fiscal credibility, and businesses would shrink under the weight of those higher interest rates. There is broad-based, bipartisan agreement that not raising the debt ceiling would be catastrophic to our economy.
While I understand a vote against raising the debt limit sends a message, I think it would be a mistake for the greatest country on earth to actually make a decision to not pay its bills. However, this doesn't mean the federal government has a blank check continue spending. I remain committed to reducing our deficit and working toward long-term comprehensive solutions to our fiscal problems.
We have a difficult road ahead, and we need real, bipartisan solutions to our nation's complex fiscal problems. I will continue to work across the aisle to reduce spending even when my party leaders have opposed me. I hope politicians in both parties will do the same for our nation's credibility and our economic recovery. Again, thank you for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance to you on this or any other issue.
Sincerely,
Claire McCaskill United States Senator
As you can see, McCaskill's form-letter reply engages in the typical, understandable self-aggrandizing BS before going on to simply restates the misinformation about defaulting. Politicians are just crying out to be tarred and feathered.
Tell the ignorant sl*t that we want results, not words.
She's either a liar or a moron.
Whenever a politician says “The American people want...”
You can bet your life the opposite is true
Why not both?
That is entirely possible.
Yes it is like raising the limit on your credit card.
>...to not pay its bills.
if a voter has his credit cards maxed out, he
does not increase his debt to pay his bills.
When the BBA comes up for a vote in the Senate, Claire will vote for it...
Some get new credit cards to pay on other ones. Those people usually end up without credit. It’s time to take the cards away from the Feds.
You are correct in asserting Claire MsCaskill is a liar but she is not a moron. Claire MsCaskill assumes the people are the morons who will believe her lies.
Sadly, for the country enough America citizens are ignorant enough for her lies to have force.
Never underestimate the power of ignorant people in large groups.
At least you got an answer from McCaskill. I sent her a message through congress.org on June 27th and have not yet received a reply. I also sent a similar message to MO Rep Russ Carnahan. He replied, a form letter, but at least he replied.
Here was my ignored message. BTW I am a constituent.
WHERE DOES OUR MONEY GO?
FEDERAL TAXES
Federal Income Tax 0 - 35%
Social Security Tax 7 ½ %
Medicare Tax
Inheritance Tax
Capital gains tax
OTHER TAXES
State Income Tax
Real Estate Tax
Personal Property Tax
Utility Taxes
Up to 6 different telephone taxes
Gasoline Tax (Federal and State)
Cigarette Tax (Federal and State)
Liquor Tax (Federal and state)
Highway tolls
Service Charge Tax (air fare, hotels, taxi cabs, etc)
LICENSES AND PERMITS
(fees paid to the government)
Business license
Building Permit
Vehicle License Registration
Driver’s license
Marriage License
Building permit
Electrical license
Occupancy permit
Food License
Fishing License
Hunting License
YOUR EMPLOYER PAYS TAXES ON YOUR BEHALF:
Social Security (7 ½ %)
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Workers Compensation
(Many employers also provide Medical insurance)
BUSINESS TAXES
Corporate Income Tax
Inventory Tax
AND DON’T FORGET,
WE PAY UP TO 10% SALES TAX ON ALMOST EVERYTHING WE BUY!
The government gets more of our money than we do!!!
And Obama and the Democrats want to tax us more????
Don’t raise taxes. Reduce foolish spending.
Sincerely,
Actually, it is like asking for a higher limit on your credit card so you make your car payments that you can't afford.
The McCackles have built a retirement mansion here at Lake of the Ozarks. It’s time folks in the Show-Me encouraged them to use it full time
No, it is not a bitter pill to swallow. It is a self inflicted wound brought about by reckless spending and an over reaching government that is holding back this nation's economy.
That b!tch needs to go. Vote her out... we are counting on you all.
LLS
at least she doesn’t mention “shared sacrifice”!
You’re lucky. When you send such a letter to John F’n Kerry, you receive a seven page single-spaced lecture on how you are too stupid to recognize the Democrats’ brilliance. And that you are probably also a gun-totting hayseed with a Bible in your back pocket. And that you are incapable of accepting the inherent superiority of France. Same with Barney Frank, except that he is even more insulting.
Surprised as hell you even got a response. Most constituents say her office sucks in terms of providing assistance.
here is the reply from boner when I asked him to quit. hahaha
July 18, 2011
Dear Mr. Hampton:
Thank you for taking time to contact me regarding President Obama’s request for an increase in the national debt limit. It’s good to hear from you.
The failure of the “stimulus” spending binge has left us with an unsustainable debt and fewer jobs. To get out of this mess, and create a better environment for private-sector job growth, we need to cut government spending now - and hold it down in the future.
That’s why House Republicans have said all along: a debt limit increase cannot pass the House without real spending cuts that are larger than the debt hike and reforms that restrain future spending (like spending caps or a Balanced Budget Amendment). And job-crushing tax hikes are off the table.
Raising taxes, or failing to stop the spending binge, will only make things worse for families and small businesses.
The House has passed a plan - The Path to Prosperity - to spur job growth and pay down our debt over time. Now we’re waiting for President Obama to outline a plan of his own that can pass.
Thank you again for contacting me. Your ideas, comments, and questions help make possible my goal of leading a House of Representatives that listens and reflects the will of the American people. I hope you’ll keep speaking out by:
-Visiting Speaker.gov to sign up for email updates on issues that concern you;
-Joining the conversation on Facebook.com/OfficeofSpeakerBoehner/;
-Connecting with my office on Twitter.com/SpeakerBoehner/; and
-Discussing solutions to the challenges facing our country at AmericaSpeakingOut.com.
I made a Pledge to America to focus on removing government barriers to private-sector job creation and economic growth. I also pledged to lead an effort to reform Congress and rebuild the bonds of trust between the American people and their representatives in Washington. I hope you’ll stay engaged and keep me updated on your thoughts as we work to keep this pledge. To learn more about the Republican blueprint for job creation, click here.
Sincerely,
John Boehner
Speaker of the House
Sign up for The Speaker’s E-Newsletter!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.