An open letter to Senator Mitch McConnell

On Wednesday, Feb 9th, while listening to a story about Social Security on NPR, I heard Senate Minority Leader, Republican't Mitch McConnell say that the United States needs to end the unfunded liability of entitlement programs such as Social Security. This same story also stated that since 1935, Social Security has taken in $2,500,000,000,000 ($2.5 Trillion) more than it has paid out. this money is now in the form of United States Bonds which replaced the money over the years by congress people of both parties who raided the fund to help balance budgets of yesteryear. They took the money and left IOU's. Two and a half Trillion dollars worth of IOU's. I do not see that as an unfunded liability. I see that as an obligation debt by the government to the people of the United States.

Without seeing the actual paper of these bonds - if they really exist at all - I just know that somewhere on them is the phrase "Backed by the full faith and credit of the United States of America." These bonds represent money that was taken out of hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of weekly paychecks of hardworking citizens of the Untied States of America. This money is called Social Security Tax and Medicare tax or FICA tax and is itself not deductible as a tax when these same citizens figure their income taxes. Senator McConnell, this $2,500,000,000,000 is not unfunded. I wish you would stop trying to steal it. The United States sent Bernard Madoff to prison for running a Ponzi scheme where he paid out money to old investors with the money brought in by the new investors. This is exactly what you are trying to do with the "Full faith and credit of the United States of America." I would rather you introduce legislation to renig on the Trillions of dollars in bonds that you sold to China and Saudi Arabia for the truly unfunded liabilities of the Bush tax cuts, the Iraq war and Medicare part D that YOU legislated the last time you were the Majority Leader.

Senator McConnell - I ask you, is theft from the American worker one of the core Republican't Family Patriotic Values that you wish to promote for this new century? For that is what you are doing. You took the money. You took it in good faith. You borrowed it. You left a note in the till saying that when we needed it it would be there. Well now we need it. This year, Social Security took in less money than it paid out. This happened partly because the American working population is getting older. It also happened because since the year 2001, those great republican't principles of lower taxes, less regulation, bigger government, more privatization of government services, preemptive wars, exporting jobs, and subsidizing the rich and powerful put this countries work force in the sewer. You allowed all the equity of the small investor to be sucked away by En-Ron, and Lehman Brothers and such. You did it. We the little people didn't do it. YOU did it.

How dare you refer to the money you took to make yourself look good in the eyes of your masters as an unfunded LIABILITY? How dare you even utter the idea that it might be possible to let that money just disappear into the ether or the bank accounts of multinational corporations or foreign nations? You have taken, several times, a solemn oath to the people of the United States of America, who established and ordained our Constitution. It seems that the value you place on your solemn oath is somewhat less than the value you place on "the full faith and credit of the United States of America."

Senator, The good news is that the TEA party is right. The bad news is that the TEA party is right. If you wish to be the leader to end the financial, fiscal, economic crisis that you helped create, here is what you need to legislate and/or have Congressman Boehner legislate, depending on the powers granted you by the Constitution.

Cut the defense budget by 30% Let the profession military men we hired figure out how to keep this country safe with the money they have left. If they can't do it, fire them and get someone who can do it.
End ALL foreign aid until we are solvent again. giving money to other countries at this time in out history is no different from the alcoholic who spends the families rent money buying drinks at the bar for all his buddies so he can look like a big shot.
End ALL corporate subsidies and sweetheart contracts including all agricultural subsidies. Don't tell me prices will go up. They are already going up! They are just being masked by delayed economic reporting, smaller packages and other tricks.
Take the money that has been saved by items 1, 2 & 3 and invest it in our infrastructure and energy independence. That will put people back to work in jobs that cannot be exported.
Institute a new tax philosophy not just a new tax code. Every American should be PROUD to pay his or her fair share to keep this proud and great country running. Everyone uses government services so no one should be exempt from paying his or her fair share. That fair share is arbitrary but...If a person earns less than $100,000 that person pays 10 % in income tax. If a person earns $100,000 to $500,000, that person pays 20 %. If a person earns over $500,000 they pay 30%. No deductions, no exemptions, PERIOD. And all income is subject to payroll withholding, even the rich people. And income means INCOME. Money one gets this year, be it from hard labor or selling a stock or the demise of old Aunt Bertha. You get it YOU PAY YOUR FAIR SHARE!
Tax businesses at the same rate. No deductions, no exemptions. They all enjoy government protection and other services.
Americans get fair market value for any natural resource taken from public land or public trust. The only collection agency in the Unite States Government is the IRS. This reduces the size of government.
We need to listen to what some in the TEA party are saying and restore the Government of the United States of America to the people of those United States. You need to introduce legislation that makes it a Federal Crime, punishable by not less than 20 years in a federal maximum security prison for any person to fund or attempt to fund any political contribution for any federal congressional campaign in any state other than that persons legal voting state of residence. This includes a person who signs a corporate check or carries an anonymous suitcase full of money across state lines. Rhode Island legislators are elected by the people of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations to represent those people. They should not have to cater to the interests of people from Maryland or Texas or Montana. Likewise, Texans should not have to be represented by a senator who was financed by and thus beholden to a Rhode Islander. The United States are just that - united but sovereign states (do you tenthers like that?) Campaign finance laws between the states should be no different from the laws that prohibit money from foreign countries to influence our national elections.
It's time we stopped pretending that legislation based on religious views is not prohibited as a religious test. If you want smaller government then get it out of a persons overies. Get it out of civil marriage. Get it out of the textbook business. The Constitution states rather plainly that a citizen is a person BORN in he United States. It does not state a person conceived in the United States. Come on Senator - how would you enforce that? Have sex police on the borders? Require witnesses to any valid conception. Issue conception certificates? Even the bible celebrated the Nativity - The birth of Jesus. That's what Nativity means - The Horoscope at the time of your birth. Yeah, yeah I know, you have the immaculate conception, but that was Mary, not Jesus. Freedom means Free. Freedom cannot exist without choices. Let people have the freedom to choose their families and their partners without government interference.
LEGALIZE recreational drugs and prostitution and tax the stuffing out of them. That would end a large government expenditure for the crime and punishment of the people caught in the illegal drug trade. It would also improve health and decrease sex trafficing because you could license ( for a fee) sex workers. Just like lawyers and doctors, they could create their own bar exams and internship programs and become taxpaying citizens. If you make it legal, you put all the illegal out of business OVERNIGHT! You get a big piece of the billions of dollars now literally going south (of the border) and you use some of that money to fund the prevention programs you need whether drugs are legal or not. Stop punishing "sin" and tax it!
And finally, not wishing to be like the founding fathers, Moses or Glen Beck, I will stop with the 11th suggestion. Let foreigners come into this country an work LEGALLY. But here's the catch. they get a special social security number. They pay the same payroll taxes citizens pay but they do not qualify for social security or medicare. That is the deal. Come to this country, work, make money, even send the money back to your family in the land of your birth. Be covered by our minimum wage laws and OSHA regulations and labor laws. You can even have children who are born here become citizens at birth! But if you are not a citizen, plan on going back home when you retire yourself. We'll let you work here because our labor force is getting smaller and older and we need your young blood to do the jobs. You will pay for our retirement and in return we will give you more money than you can earn back home. That's the deal. If you accept the terms -Welcome to the United States.
Pete Bradley

Narragansett, RI