Letter to Senators Craig and Crapo

On the evening news last night it was announced that Senator Larry Craig would like Idahoans to write to him and tell him what they want D.C. to do about the current credit crisis. I took him up on the offer. And then I forwarded the letter to Senator Mike Crapo, even though he didn’t ask me to.

When it comes to expressing my opinion to my elected representatives, I believe in sharing the love.

Dear Senator Craig,
I saw on the news last night you want us, Idahoans, to tell you what we want.

Well. You asked for it.

First I’ll tell you what I don’t want. I don’t want the banks, lenders, wall street, etc. baild out with my money. Period.

I don’t want them bailed out with a slap on the wrist, or a wink and a nod, or a wing and a prayer. Under no circumstance can I be convinced to bail them out.

Oh, but it’s more complicated than that, isn’t it? Wasn’t it all the government incentives to give credit to non-creditworthy people, all the incentives that promoted the ridiculous idea that EVERYONE should own a home that made the banks feel “safe” with bad lending practices? Hey, Uncle Sam said it would be cool–so let’s do it! So here’s a suggestion. Don’t do that again. Don’t let D.C. engineer the economy directly or indirectly anymore. Quit it!!

Since when is owning a home something that everyone should do? Should everyone get to own a Mercedes? Should everyone get to go to Hawaii? How about we give incentives to banks willing to finance a Mercedes in every American’s garage and a tropical vacation for every man, woman, and child?

Okay, so it doesn’t work that way. Not everyone is in a position in their life to have everything they want. Individuals get to work and eventually they will (or won’t) get to a place where they can responsibly own their own home. That’s how life works. And when given the opportunity the free market will work. But D.C. doesn’t really want to give the free market the opportunity.

Lately we, the American People, have been threatened with a specter–The Great Depression. We’ve been told it’s coming to get us like the Boogie Monster hiding under our bed–the Boogie Monster of American history. That monster was the beginning of some pretty scary social programs which exist to this day. These social programs have helped strip away the personal and financial liberty of the people under that horrible catch phrase “the Greater Good.”

The current Great Credit Crisis is being used in the same evil way. It will lead us to turn private business into government entities. It will lead us inexorably closer to huge Socialist government. Please don’t do that. Please, don’t turn the U.S. of A into Europe. We’re close enough as it is.

Now IF D.C. really does have billions of dollars burning a hole in their pocket, how about they give every American over the age of 18 another tax bonus? I’m sure you’ve seen that email circulating, “The Birk Economic Recovery Plan.” It outlines a plan to give all that “bail out” money directly to the people–and tax it to boot. I can’t say I’m really for that either, honestly. But, IF money has to be given away then at least it will go directly back into the hands of the people. Not credit machines. It doesn’t even have to be a full 700 billion dollar tax return to the American people. I think most of us would be happy with just a five to ten thousand dollar boost. Peanuts, right? The people can pour that money back into the economy. They can make good on their debts, they can save their homes and their cars, and yeah, some can buy a vacation to Hawaii and put a Mercedes in their garage.

Ultimately, this crisis has been caused by D.C. and in regular fashion, D.C. is using the crisis it created to scare the people into accepting more government tyranny. Please don’t do this to us. You may be a senator and I know for many many years you have been a cog in the D.C. machine and that probably makes one’s vision quite cloudy and confused. But on this, please see clearly for yourself and for all the liberty-loving individuals here in Idaho you represent.

Yours in Liberty,
Ginny Eggleston