I sent this to friends of mine, but am posting it here as well. I know there is the "Hone$t Mistake" thread as well, but this is a focused action request. Never posted in the political forum before, so not sure on appropriateness. Take or leave, I guess.
I'm normally quite far from a political activist, but I think Daschle
is unfit to be a part of the current administration and I've written
my senators to say so. You can read one of the letters, below, if you
like. Hopefully you can look past the dramatic accouterments and see
that the issue is quite simple: The Obama administration won on a
platform of change, particularly as it relates to the old ways of
Washington, and we're already seeing concessions to the hard line
that, if gone unchecked, will be the beginning of another average
administration. There are over 300 million people in this country.
Slice that number however you like, but I refuse to believe that
Daschle is so uniquely qualified that we must disregard his myriad
mistakes and industry ties and confirm his suitability as a leader.
BS. I share the letter below in an attempt to encourage you to write
and/or call your senators today to ask them to vote "NAY" on the
Daschle confirmation. You can see how your senators voted in the
Geithner confirmation, which I assume will prove proxy for the Daschle
confirmation unless people step up and demand some accountability from
their representatives. For you Oregonians, Merkley voted "YEA" on
Geithner and Wyden didn't vote.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00015
Dear Senator Merkley,
I write this letter with great concern, and I hope that as my elected
official, you'll take the time to respond. I, like many Americans,
have been personally affected by the collapse of the credit markets
that has plagued our economy in this critical time. I am a wind energy
developer, and I sincerely appreciate the efforts of Senator Wyden
(and I expect you, as well) to bring wind to Oregon and prioritize
this leading form of modern energy. However, despite these appreciated
efforts, my expected income this year has taken a significant hit due
to the collapse of the credit markets. Simply put, we can't develop
our projects without capital, so we are largely on hold until the
credit markets recover, and thus our company has (wisely) chosen not to give
the bonuses that were expected and defined as component to our
compensation package. I am now trying to make ends meet on fewer
dollars than I anticipated having. I don't lead a lavish lifestyle,
don't live beyond my means, and didn't build my lifestyle around
compensation that wasn't a certainty (even if expected). However, most
of my income is now going to paying the mortgage, bills, etc. You
know, fighting the good fight with my skills that make me "uniquely
qualified" as a wind developer.
The good news, however, is that I'm now confident that I can increase
my income significantly. See, I think I can amend my withholdings to
maximize my income and limit the taxes I am to pay the government. Of
course, the IRS will catch me eventually, but I now have precedent
(which could be twice over) indicating that I can simply apologize for
my "oversight" and pay my back-taxes at a later date. This should be a
suitable plan, as it will give me more money in the near term to make
ends meet, and then I'll just pay the back taxes once the economy is
back on track and the dollars are rolling in. Makes sense, right?
I am so frustrated by the current administration's preferential
treatment of Timothy Geithner and Tom Daschle. I voted, as strongly as
one man can, for Obama. Change, new energy, infrastructure, and the
promised hard line on the Washington machine so many politicians have
come to take advantage of. Remember you rode the change wagon all
the way to DC, too. These are the platforms that I supported. However,
if the administration and the Democratic congress that I helped put in
place isn't prepared to make the right choice on ethics, then I don't
understand why I should, either.
I strongly encourage you to vote against Tom Daschle's confirmation.
His behavior is unforgivable, regardless of his past public service. I
don't think his behavior is unprecedented, but certainly shouldn't be
encouraged, and that is just what a confirmation will do.
If you do vote to confirm Tom Daschle, then I promise I'll be beating
down your office door for your support when the IRS comes calling for
me. Easy, too, as I'm only one floor below you in the World Trade
Center, Building 1. Feel free to stop by my office next time you're in
Portland. I'd be happy to share my perspectives on federal wind
legislation and, if Daschle is confirmed, I'll let you know how my
well-founded tax scheme is coming along.
Please do the right thing and find someone who deserves to be a
continued leader for our great country. As a junior senator in DC who
ran on a platform of change in Washington, you simply cannot afford
not to.
I'm normally quite far from a political activist, but I think Daschle
is unfit to be a part of the current administration and I've written
my senators to say so. You can read one of the letters, below, if you
like. Hopefully you can look past the dramatic accouterments and see
that the issue is quite simple: The Obama administration won on a
platform of change, particularly as it relates to the old ways of
Washington, and we're already seeing concessions to the hard line
that, if gone unchecked, will be the beginning of another average
administration. There are over 300 million people in this country.
Slice that number however you like, but I refuse to believe that
Daschle is so uniquely qualified that we must disregard his myriad
mistakes and industry ties and confirm his suitability as a leader.
BS. I share the letter below in an attempt to encourage you to write
and/or call your senators today to ask them to vote "NAY" on the
Daschle confirmation. You can see how your senators voted in the
Geithner confirmation, which I assume will prove proxy for the Daschle
confirmation unless people step up and demand some accountability from
their representatives. For you Oregonians, Merkley voted "YEA" on
Geithner and Wyden didn't vote.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00015
Dear Senator Merkley,
I write this letter with great concern, and I hope that as my elected
official, you'll take the time to respond. I, like many Americans,
have been personally affected by the collapse of the credit markets
that has plagued our economy in this critical time. I am a wind energy
developer, and I sincerely appreciate the efforts of Senator Wyden
(and I expect you, as well) to bring wind to Oregon and prioritize
this leading form of modern energy. However, despite these appreciated
efforts, my expected income this year has taken a significant hit due
to the collapse of the credit markets. Simply put, we can't develop
our projects without capital, so we are largely on hold until the
credit markets recover, and thus our company has (wisely) chosen not to give
the bonuses that were expected and defined as component to our
compensation package. I am now trying to make ends meet on fewer
dollars than I anticipated having. I don't lead a lavish lifestyle,
don't live beyond my means, and didn't build my lifestyle around
compensation that wasn't a certainty (even if expected). However, most
of my income is now going to paying the mortgage, bills, etc. You
know, fighting the good fight with my skills that make me "uniquely
qualified" as a wind developer.
The good news, however, is that I'm now confident that I can increase
my income significantly. See, I think I can amend my withholdings to
maximize my income and limit the taxes I am to pay the government. Of
course, the IRS will catch me eventually, but I now have precedent
(which could be twice over) indicating that I can simply apologize for
my "oversight" and pay my back-taxes at a later date. This should be a
suitable plan, as it will give me more money in the near term to make
ends meet, and then I'll just pay the back taxes once the economy is
back on track and the dollars are rolling in. Makes sense, right?
I am so frustrated by the current administration's preferential
treatment of Timothy Geithner and Tom Daschle. I voted, as strongly as
one man can, for Obama. Change, new energy, infrastructure, and the
promised hard line on the Washington machine so many politicians have
come to take advantage of. Remember you rode the change wagon all
the way to DC, too. These are the platforms that I supported. However,
if the administration and the Democratic congress that I helped put in
place isn't prepared to make the right choice on ethics, then I don't
understand why I should, either.
I strongly encourage you to vote against Tom Daschle's confirmation.
His behavior is unforgivable, regardless of his past public service. I
don't think his behavior is unprecedented, but certainly shouldn't be
encouraged, and that is just what a confirmation will do.
If you do vote to confirm Tom Daschle, then I promise I'll be beating
down your office door for your support when the IRS comes calling for
me. Easy, too, as I'm only one floor below you in the World Trade
Center, Building 1. Feel free to stop by my office next time you're in
Portland. I'd be happy to share my perspectives on federal wind
legislation and, if Daschle is confirmed, I'll let you know how my
well-founded tax scheme is coming along.
Please do the right thing and find someone who deserves to be a
continued leader for our great country. As a junior senator in DC who
ran on a platform of change in Washington, you simply cannot afford
not to.
