Speaker Boehner,

The current congress was elected by Americans on the platform of fixing the economy, but, more specifically, under the slogan “jobs, jobs, jobs.” The mishandling of the current budget crisis shows how little that voice was heard. Just as Republicans accused the administration of focussing on social policy (health care) when the mandate was about jobs and the economy, you have now done exactly the same thing when put in power. Rather than tackling the real issues pointed out by the bipartisan commission (such as entitlements and tax policy), you persist in living in a fantasy world that the economy can be fixed with cuts to discretionary spending.

No matter how this crisis resolves itself – whether it is with a government shutdown or a last minute deal – congressional leadership has failed the American people by creating a crisis out of short term political opportunism and appeasement of the extreme wing of the Republican party to push through social policy.

No one believes that even the entire $40-65 billion in cuts being negotiated comes remotely close to reversing a $1 trillion deficit (or, if they do, they seriously need the additional educational programs proposed by the President.) To claim that the crisis and potential shutdown is based on Democrats refusal to accept a percentage of those cuts doesn’t pass the sanity test. It is clearly about trying to ram social policy through without debate.

Perhaps the most humiliating and tragic part of this is that it will result in financial insecurity for the men and women in uniform who are in harm’s way around the world defending America and our interests. Please think about them when you take your decisions and consider the consequences of this political opportunism and appeasement.

Sincerely,
Daniel Ratner