I get a good deal of email, but imagine my surprise when Libertarian Bob Barr wrote to me, using my given name, to wish me a Merry Christmas. I will walk around all day, now, with a warm, holiday, free enterprise glow.
(Quickly, before someone writes to tease me – Yes, I know that, really, I received the email as part of a political party’s email list. It’s no ordinary party, though, so I am contented.)
Here’s part of Barr’s message (he’s not known for the delicacy of his expression):
My wife, Jeri, and I want to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and Happy New Year.
In our home, we have a lot to be thankful for and we are happy to be able to share this season with our family, our long time friends and our new acquaintances.
This past year has brought us joy in many ways, not the least of which has been giving a voice to the direction you and I would like to see our country take.
It’s easy to say “Someone should do something about . . .” But it’s far more difficult to accept that challenge and realize you are that “someone.” And, if you will not do it, why should someone else do it? How can we expect them to?
You and I accepted the responsibility of our citizenship and got involved. Together, we made a difference. We raised the issues that no one wanted to talk about.
While other candidates tried to make the case that $17 billion of “earmarks” are the source of our country’s fiscal problems, you and I know the problems go much deeper. You and I know that runaway federal spending and the long term impact that will have of creating a $100 trillion dollar unfunded liability on our children and grandchildren, is the real problem.
When the public debate in recent months was all about granting immunity to telecoms for their role in domestic spying, you and I focused on the government’s intrusion into our personal privacy through the use of warrantless searches and abuses of the Patriot Act.
When the financial policy makers in this administration were declaring their friends in huge financial institutions were ‘too big to allow to fail’ you and I said, “Wait!” Let the good businesses buy the good parts of the failures and let the Brainiacs who that created the problems suffer the consequences.
Instead, the establishment decided to reward bad businesses with the gift of your hard earned tax dollars, and allowed them to continue to do bad business as usual. There have not been any meaningful fraud investigations. No perp walks!
One alleged Wall Street fraudster is sitting in his $7 million dollar apartment under “house arrest” accused of bilking investors out of tens of billions of dollars. While he resides in luxury instead of jail, you and I will be expected to bailout his victims.
Our state elected officials are doing little better than their federal cohorts. Scandals abound. And yet another governor is probably going to declare that a US Senate seat is a birthright to the Kennedy dynasty. We have had enough of family dynasty politics; we deserve principled, legitimate representation, not socialites and prima donnas.
We have a lot to do in the New Year, and we need to get prepared now! We have just begun to be heard….
Again, Jeri and I wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Sincerely,
Bob Barr