An open letter to Lex's congressman

Dear Congressman Souder:

Congratulations on your recent victory here in Indiana’s 3rd district. I didn’t vote for you, but I’m happy that you won. I e-mailed you during that ridiculous 700 BILLION dollar bailout fiasco that if you voted for it, I wouldn’t vote for you in Nov. I guess we both did what we thought we had to do.

During your campaign you ran an ad justifying your vote by stating in effect that you couldn’t sit by and do nothing while Hoosiers lost their life savings. Well I’ve learned that the first and sometimes best course of action in a crisis is to do exactly that - nothing. When my son gets a headache, I don’t schedule brain surgery just to assure myself that “I’m doing something.”

Besides, few conservatives were advocating a do nothing approach during the financial crisis. We wanted to follow conservative free market principles, cut corporate taxes, suspend capital gains taxes and end Sarbanes/Oxley accounting rules. I know Republicans had no chance of passing this agenda. Had John McCain and other Republicans stood for these conservative principles instead of going along with the 700 BILLION dollar bailout, I think our fortunes on Nov. 4th would have been far better.

Republicans could have laid this 700 BILLION dollar monstrosity right at the feet of BIG GOVERNMENT Democrats. Republicans in general and John McCain in particular would have had the added advantage of distancing themselves from President Bush.

Now we’re as culpable as Democrats for this mess. And how is the bailout going?
- Two trillion dollars going to banks with no accountability or transparency.
- Millions going to AIG to throw lavish parties for the big wigs.
- Auto companies standing in line for their share of the handout.
- Banks using the money to buy banks - but no loans - and to offer generous severance packages to underperforming executive.
- Elevating the unelected Treasury Secretary to THE most powerful position in government.
- Bailouts beget bailouts.

The next time a bailout comes up, please consider doing nothing. If something must be done, start by offering conservative alternatives. When congress proposes the next stimulus package, advocate suspending the income tax for four months. People will be dancing in the streets. Democrats will have to explain why it's better for the government to take the money so that the government can then re-issue the money in the form of a governmnet check.

Try it. Really, how much worse could Republicans do?

Good Luck,