CONGRESSMAN ROSKAM NEEDS HISTORY LESSON
June 17, 2011
Dear Congressman Roskam:
As a former history teacher (All Saints H.S., St. Thomas US Virgin Islands, 1985-1986), you know that history is not entertainment; but absolutely crucial to understanding our past so we can make informed decisions about our future. It is dismaying, therefore, that your latest email blast to IL Sixth District constituents, "Job Creation", either erases recent US economic history or distorts it wildly to promote failed policies that serve your narrow political base.
Your opening line is a doozy: "House Republicans sent a clear message to the White House...Washington must stop spending money it doesn't have".
Did you forget, Congressman, that the last Administration with a balanced budget and colossal job growth was the Democratic Clinton Administration?
Did you forget that the George W. Bush Administration, exploded the debt from 5.7 trillion to 10.7 trillion?
Did you forget that Republican Bush borrowed over a trillion dollars to wage two senseless wars that have killed hundreds of thousands, including over 6,000 GI's?
Did you forget that President Bush provided 2.5 trillion dollars (over 10 years) in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans which were totally unnecessary except for an avalanche of campaign contributions they stimulated?
Did you forget that President Bush passed an unpaid for, trillion dollar (over 10 years) prescription drug benefit for the elderly that prohibited the government from negotiating reasonable drug prices with Big Pharma?
Did you forget that Bush Administration's obsession with deregulation allowed the Wall Street Bankers to bring our country to the brink of economic collapse in 2008?
Did you forget that some of the debt incurred under the Obama Administration was to provide economic stimulus which prevented unemployment from hitting 12% (currenlty 9.1%)
Did you forget that some of that debt was to bailout the auto industry which is recovering nicely, paying back the government, and has saved several hundred thousand good American jobs?
Then there is: "The continued borrowed-and-spend madness hasn't helped create jobs either".
Did you forget that the Republican Bush II administration had the worst job creation record since the Republican Hoover administration between 1929 and 1933?
Did you forget the 2 million private sector jobs the Obama administration has created in the last 15 months in spite of concerted Republican intransigence to any economic stimulus?
Your prescription to end "borrow and spend madness" not only doesn't include reducing military spending and making sure the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes, it increases both military spending and tax cuts for the wealthiest citizens and corporations. So where do you cut?
Education
Health care for the needy
Infrastructure improvement
Funding for financial regulatory reform
Funding for environmental protection
Wow! These programs not only keep thousands of Americans working; they actually benefit those most in need and provide the framework and infrastructure for a thriving economy.
But the most radical program you support is Representative Paul Ryan's (Rep. WI) plan to privatize Medicare. This is the cornerstone of the Republican Party blueprint to funnel more money to the private health care industry at the expense of the elderly, and it will do nothing to create jobs.
Being certain you would not intentionally erase or distort recent economic history, maybe you should go back to school to re-learn that history. While in class, it will be OK to also bone up on the 3 R's, but please don't focus on the 5 R's: Roskam's radical Republican roadmap to ruin.
Respectfully yours,
Walt Zlotow
IL Sixth District resident
Dear Congressman Roskam:
As a former history teacher (All Saints H.S., St. Thomas US Virgin Islands, 1985-1986), you know that history is not entertainment; but absolutely crucial to understanding our past so we can make informed decisions about our future. It is dismaying, therefore, that your latest email blast to IL Sixth District constituents, "Job Creation", either erases recent US economic history or distorts it wildly to promote failed policies that serve your narrow political base.
Your opening line is a doozy: "House Republicans sent a clear message to the White House...Washington must stop spending money it doesn't have".
Did you forget, Congressman, that the last Administration with a balanced budget and colossal job growth was the Democratic Clinton Administration?
Did you forget that the George W. Bush Administration, exploded the debt from 5.7 trillion to 10.7 trillion?
Did you forget that Republican Bush borrowed over a trillion dollars to wage two senseless wars that have killed hundreds of thousands, including over 6,000 GI's?
Did you forget that President Bush provided 2.5 trillion dollars (over 10 years) in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans which were totally unnecessary except for an avalanche of campaign contributions they stimulated?
Did you forget that President Bush passed an unpaid for, trillion dollar (over 10 years) prescription drug benefit for the elderly that prohibited the government from negotiating reasonable drug prices with Big Pharma?
Did you forget that Bush Administration's obsession with deregulation allowed the Wall Street Bankers to bring our country to the brink of economic collapse in 2008?
Did you forget that some of the debt incurred under the Obama Administration was to provide economic stimulus which prevented unemployment from hitting 12% (currenlty 9.1%)
Did you forget that some of that debt was to bailout the auto industry which is recovering nicely, paying back the government, and has saved several hundred thousand good American jobs?
Then there is: "The continued borrowed-and-spend madness hasn't helped create jobs either".
Did you forget that the Republican Bush II administration had the worst job creation record since the Republican Hoover administration between 1929 and 1933?
Did you forget the 2 million private sector jobs the Obama administration has created in the last 15 months in spite of concerted Republican intransigence to any economic stimulus?
Your prescription to end "borrow and spend madness" not only doesn't include reducing military spending and making sure the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes, it increases both military spending and tax cuts for the wealthiest citizens and corporations. So where do you cut?
Education
Health care for the needy
Infrastructure improvement
Funding for financial regulatory reform
Funding for environmental protection
Wow! These programs not only keep thousands of Americans working; they actually benefit those most in need and provide the framework and infrastructure for a thriving economy.
But the most radical program you support is Representative Paul Ryan's (Rep. WI) plan to privatize Medicare. This is the cornerstone of the Republican Party blueprint to funnel more money to the private health care industry at the expense of the elderly, and it will do nothing to create jobs.
Being certain you would not intentionally erase or distort recent economic history, maybe you should go back to school to re-learn that history. While in class, it will be OK to also bone up on the 3 R's, but please don't focus on the 5 R's: Roskam's radical Republican roadmap to ruin.
Respectfully yours,
Walt Zlotow
IL Sixth District resident
posted by Walt Zlotow at 5:32 PM
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