Dear Readers,
Enough is enough. The stalemate we have seen in Congress has lasted long enough. This lack of direction has contributed to the violent polarization of our nation. People are no longer thinking of this great nation as a whole, but their own little worlds. It’s time that Congress start doing their job of governing.
I have sent the following letter to the five senior leaders of Congress. They are listed here:
Officers of the US House of Representatives
Speaker of the House: Rep. Paul D. Ryan – Represents the entire House
H-232 The Capitol
Washington D.C. 20515
P: (202) 225-0600
F: (202) 225-5117
Majority Leader: Rep Kevin McCarthy – Represents the Republican Party
H-107, THE CAPITOL
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20515
202-225-4000
Democratic Leader: Rep Nancy Pelosi – Represents the Democratic Party
H-204, US Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-0100
Officers of the US Senate
Majority leader – Sen. Mitch McConnell
(202) 224-2541
Contact: www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=contact
Minority Leader – Sen. Charles E. Schumer
322 Hart Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-6542
Contact: www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/email-chuck
Now the letter itself. If every person reading this letter would send a copy of it to the Congressional Leadership, then perhaps they will actually become leaders and help heal this great nation.
Dear _________
I am writing this letter on Veterans Day as I think the democratic values of veterans answering the call of duty through the years should be reflected in our legislature. Copies of this letter have been sent to the leading officers of both the House and the Senate for united consideration and action.
At this point, our nation is sorely divided, and this fracture is being reflected in our two houses of Congress. As a result, I believe that a stalemate in deciding national policy has resulted, leaving the political processes in a vacuum. This means that the Presidents of both parties are filling this void through executive decrees. That is, they have gone from enabling the policies of Congress to creating policies by themselves. Examples abound, and need not be repeated here. But, if left unchecked, a well-worn path dating back to the Roman Senate and culminating in the horrors of the 1930’s dictators will be followed.
If this sad trend is to be reversed, then the primary job of the upcoming Congress is to restore its position as primary policy maker as was envisioned by our Founding Fathers writing the Federalist Papers. To succeed in this endeavor, the senior officers of both houses must unite into a solid band of leadership that forces all others to use the conflict of their differences effectively and create laws that govern for the commonweal. Parochial differences can and should be represented and debated, but the job of each member of Congress is to govern for the common good through the process of negotiation and compromise. Such is the process of our republican form of government. Thus, if a decision appears to fall along party lines, then you must demand the return of such legislation for further deliberation until a common cross-party support is achieved.
If these laws of Congress are vetoed by the President in order to retain his newly gained powers, then the authority of the legislative branch must be sustained by override votes. Congress makes policy; the President executes it. Thus, laws passed as described above can reflect the common consent of all congressional members well enough that override votes can be attained and the primacy of Congress is sustained. As things now stand, this is not happening, and we are teetering on the precipice of despotism.
I recognize that dangers lie in your political paths if you follow this advice. You may lose your careers in the face of angry voter factions and monied lobbies. But, from my perspective as a 30-year veteran, you have no choice. You must do what is right and avoid the expedient course. My fallen comrades who are being honored this day lived up to their motto of Duty, Honor and Country. When they died, they forsook their lives, their families, their fortunes for this great nation. Only honor remains in nameless graves. To preserve the unique liberties of this nation, can you do any less?
I pray to God that you see your way to the leadership this nation so badly needs.
Sincerely,
Lloyd H. Muller, Col, USAF (Ret)