Dear Congressman* Smith;

Though I rarely agree with you, I appreciate you voting for the startup of the Federal Government last night. In view of the heavy cost in human suffering, trust and prestige abroad, the S&P estimate of $24,000,000,000 loss to 4th quarter GDP with its impact on revenues and solvency of businesses across the land, the ongoing possibility of a down-rating of US credit rating (with the attendant increase in the cost of borrowing and paying off debt), the apparent ignorance or disinterest in the harm done by Cruz and his minions in your caucus, I can’t say I’m happy with your party or sympathetic to your party’s claim to be interested in controlling the budget, and more, I note you have a big job of restoring trust. Frankly, if there were any way to punish the people behind this joke, I’d ask you to follow through on it!

In the meantime, how does the Republican Party propose to deal with the financial losses their irrational component brought across all strata of American life, private and government? Will there be apologies for using veterans as props in cynical photo ops at the WWII memorial? Or by Congressmen who brought about the shutdown for berating government employees doing their jobs without pay when it made good propaganda for the ignorant masses who think government is the enemy?

You still did the thing that needed to be done. I gave a small $25 a week to the DCCC (I’m no Koch brother…), and planned to continue this as long as the shutdown lasted, I was so disgusted with your party’s pig-headed resolve to destroy the USA if they had to get a dam for McConnell and ZERO, ZIP, NOTHING, NADA for putting the United States of America in peril for some screwed up notion that they could defund the ACA by this reckless tactic. I’d call them traitors, but I’m just a disgusted voting citizen.

I know the way to change law at my end is to vote people in who work for the country’s best interests first, constituents second, but NEVER to promote an extremist ideology and personal ambition. Apparently a certain component of your caucus needs remedial classes in how American government works. There are “Dummies for”** books on Constitutional law and how Congress functions, passes bills, and I recommend they buy them, study them, then start acting like respectable Congressmen and Senators. (I have these books because citizens need to understand this business, too.) I realize that’s pretty idealistic, but this country was based on idealism and a desire to create a better life and world.

Sincerely,

* [sic -One speaks of them as Congressmen or Congresswomen, but address them in letters as “Representative or Rep.” So-and-so: I know that, but hastily posted this with the incorrect term before I went to the military museum this noon for my weekly babysit.]

**[sic – I meant “For Dummies” books, of course, though “Dummies For Congress”,one of the books to which I refer, works instead of the actual title of “Congress for Dummies”. No doubt that was a Freudian slip.]

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Here is my Congressman’s reply. Frankly, I was surprised to get this, but he did reply:

Representative Smith replies…