Recent backlash against a popular senator is just further evidence that . . .

The people do have power over their Congressional employees.

We must exert this power. Unless we stop them, Congress will raise the national debt limit in order to cover this year's gigantic budget deficit.

This is the last thing America needs . . . or wants. But Congress will continue business as usual unless we demand that they stop. 

And so we urge you to tell Congress to stop deficit spending and start Downsizing DC instead.

You may borrow from this letter . . .

Members of Congress think that bribing voters with federal funds is part of their job.

But think about the backlash against Sen. Ben Nelson after he secured a favorable Medicaid deal for Nebraska in the healthcare bill. Nelson's popularity is slipping and he has asked that the special deal be removed. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/01/18/poll-shows-nelsons-popularity-plummeting-nebraska/

Nebraskans didn't want the healthcare bill and were as enraged as the rest of the country over the special deal - even though it was favorable to them.

Nelson probably thought his special deal was "business as usual" in Congress. But the people of Nebraska said they don't want business as usual.

And neither do I. I don't want pork for my county or money for my state. Instead, I demand that you work tirelessly to cut federal spending.

And I am not alone: a Washington Post Poll shows that Americans would prefer less government and fewer services to more government. (Question 40) http://tinyurl.com/yb849k9

Senators must keep this in mind when they debate raising the debt limit by as much as $1.8 trillion to cover the federal government's projected deficit this year. http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/19/news/economy/debt_ceiling/

$1.8 trillion in federal deficit spending will force the average American family to incur $18,000 of additional debt!

(And that is above and beyond what you are already spending with our tax dollars.)

If you insist on being that fiscally reckless, it would be better if you authorized $18,000 checks directly to every family, rather than spend it on bloated government programs.

But what you must do instead is work on . . .

* shrinking the deficit to as little as possible this year
* developing systemic changes that will downsize the federal government and balance the budget

Let's stop business as usual. I won't judge your performance by how much money you manage to steal from the people of other states to benefit mine. Instead, I will judge you by your efforts to cut spending.

END LETTER

You can send your letter using DownsizeDC.org's Educate the Powerful System.

Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org