My Letter to Congress: Just a letter from a concerned constituent

I am writing as your constituent in the 11th Congressional district of Florida. Before you read, or casually glance at the automated message below, I wanted to share something a little more personal.

I am a recent graduate of FSU and I work for a small, family business in one of Florida's most beautiful and diverse historic districts, Ybor City. I love working and being a part of such a rich and amazing community. I am a real person with real ideas and very real concerns. I am concerned when I read that large, faceless entities have more sway in our little democratic experiment than the citizenry. I am concerned when I don't hear genuine outrage from our elected officers that this is wrong. And I am truly concerned when political games take precedent over speaking up for the rights of those without a voice loud enough to be heard.

The Citizens United ruling was a huge blow against free and fair elections. This is inarguable. No amount of subject-group tested talking points or phrases could ever begin to convince me or any other informed person otherwise. It is a tragedy and a stain on our country's history.This is why I humbly beseech you, my elected official, to please consider, or reconsider, the ramifications of corporate personhood.

I am a student of politics. I am genuinely enthralled by the inner-workings of our country. But I find myself growing more and more apolitical with each passing news cycle. My feelings of disinterest, dissatisfaction and disenfranchisement are slowly repelling me away from the idea that I can make a difference. How sad is it when a 25 year old begins to believe that yesterday was probably better than today, and that today will probably be better than tomorrow? But I do not lose hope. When I read that Representatives and Senators stand against party lines to fight for what they believe to be right, it relights that flame of interest and belief that grew low and was on the verge of being extinguished. It is those kinds of actions that I find inspiring, whether I agree with them or not. That kind of thing shows, for lack of a better word, balls. And you need balls to stand up for what is right. Balls, or a mean set of ovaries.

I believe that you, our elected official, act as your constituent's megaphone. You are there to express our needs and our concerns. And you do this because you have a voice that is loud. You have a voice that is clear. You have a voice that can be heard. Please be my voice. Please express these concerns, because I am not the only one who feels this way. Please be the one to stand up and bark in your loudest voice that there are things wrong in this country and that you are willing to fight.

You hold office in one of the most prestigious institutions in the whole world. You hold some of the greatest powers in the history of man: You can be heard. You can influence. You can change things. Please, please, allow us to take back what rightly belongs to us. Use your voice to give us back our voice. It may not be as loud, or as influencial, but it is our voice, and it deserves to be heard.

I vote in every election, but I am not a Democrat, nor am I a Republican. I am an American and I know what that means. I hope you do too.

Now, you can politely skim why you should support S.J. Res. 33

Just keep in mind that this is a real person asking you, and not just an automated email service. An automated service would never use the word balls.
Thanks.

I support S.J.Res.33 - A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to expressly exclude for-profit corporations from the rights given to natural persons by the Constitution of the United States, prohibit corporate spending in all elections, and affirm the authority of Congress and the States to regulate corporations and to regulate and set limits on all election contributions and expenditures., and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability.

Sincerely,
Benjamin Wax

Thank you for taking the time to contact me. I have received your
message and I welcome the opportunity to address your concerns. As you
await a response, please know that our office is working towards best
serving the state of Florida. I appreciate hearing your views, and I
understand how important these issues are to you. Please expect my
response in the near future. In an effort to serve you better, please
do not duplicate e-mails into the web-form, as it may serve to delay
the response to your concerns. If you need immediate assistance with a
federal agency, please call (866) 630-7106 toll-free in Florida. You
may also contact the Orlando regional office at (407) 254-2573 or the
Miami regional office at (305) 418-8553. Please do not mail
correspondence to the Washington DC Office as it will delay the
response to your request for assistance

Dear Mr. Wax,



I appreciate you reaching out to me regarding two of the biggest
challenges facing our nation: the federal budget and out-of-control
spending. As Florida's junior Senator, it is my priority to confront
these issues by reducing wasteful spending, eliminating duplicative and
inefficient government programs, and working to ensure the solvency of
entitlement programs.



The United States government's exorbitant spending must stop. The
Congressional Budget Office projected that the budget deficit reached
nearly $996 billion in FY2011 which was the second-largest shortfall in
the past 65 years. This spending is unsustainable and is why I fought
against President Obama's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2012 and did
not vote to raise the debt ceiling in August. The President and his
administration have failed to take decisive action to cut our spending
and curb our debt. The era of big government has driven us further into
debt and we must take the necessary measures to reverse it.



President Obama's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2012 fell far short
of tackling our national debt in a serious way. Although we face a
staggering deficit and an enormous national debt that has surpassed $15
trillion, the President's proposal would have added $9.5 trillion in
deficits over the next decade. While the President insisted he would
take the commendable step of vetoing bills with earmarks attached, his
silence on entitlement reform, the absence of meaningful spending cuts,
and his reliance on anti-competitive tax increases have caused more
economic uncertainty, stifled job creation and continues to keep
America on a path toward a diminished future.



On December 17, 2011 the Senate passed a $915 billion omnibus
appropriations bill which funds the departments of Defense, Education,
Energy, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Interior
and the Environmental Protection Agency, and other agencies for this
fiscal year until September 30, 2012. Unfortunately, this bill does
nothing to resolve Washington's massive spending habit or our nation's
unemployment problem, and is riddled with anti-life provisions and
earmarks. For these reasons, I voted against it.



Our fiscal problems today are due to decades of profligate spending by
both parties. We have a job-crushing debt because Washington has
repeatedly postponed the tough decisions for someone else to deal with
down the road. The American people have every reason to be disappointed
by Washington politicians who either don't understand the seriousness
of our fiscal crisis, or who are simply not willing to confront this
challenge. As Florida's junior Senator, I will keep your thoughts in
mind as I work with my colleagues to enact a responsible budget that
addresses the long term fiscal problems we face as a state and nation.