Open Letter To Az Senators/representatives

October 3, 2008 TO:

My Elected officials in the State of Arizona Jon Kyl, US Senator John McCain, US Senator Trent Franks, House Representative, 2nd District Raul Grijalva, House Representative, 7th District Harry Mitchell, House Representative, 5th District Rick Renzi, House Representative, 1st District Gabrielle Giffords, House Representative, 8th District Jeff Flake, House Representative, 6th District Ed Pastor, House Representative, 4th District John Shadegg, House Representative, 3rd District

Dear Sirs and Madam: I write this letter to you on the day after the final House vote and approval of the Senate amendment of H.R. 1424 or better known as the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. In case you forgot how you and your peers voted in the State of Arizona, here’s the vote for your recollection1: Senator or House Representative Jon Kyl John McCain Trent Franks Raul Grijalva Harry Mitchell Rick Renzi Gabrielle Giffords Jeff Flake Ed Pastor John Shadegg

Vote for H.R. 1424 Yea Yea Nay Nay Yea Nay Yea Nay No Vote Recorded Yea

To start, I’ll say that I don’t admire your position to do your best attempt and act on behalf of the over 6 million people residing in Arizona. You are in a position to create laws on the state and federal level that affect a lot of people and I applaud you for putting yourself in that position. What I don’t applaud is the blatant disregard for respect of the common working Arizonian. The votes shown by some Arizona lawmakers in this recent bill emphasizes that to me even more. By all reports, it appears that indeed the United States could be in a financial crisis. Some of our nation’s largest lenders and other financial institutions have plundered. Something indeed should be done, and I’m not sure that H.R. 1424 was the answer. Certainly NOT in the form it was passed at least. The concept of the

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http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll681.xml

government bailing out industries that have made bad decisions is upsetting to me. The concept of helping individuals who have made bad decisions is upsetting me. What about those of us who are responsible? Where is our reward in all of this? There is none, except a weakening dollar as the result of the government deciding to print more money to solve a problem of bad business/personal decisions and deception. I don’t have the right answer of course and know that it is a tough decision to figure out how to save the economy and wrestle with the thought of bailing out companies, some of which who had CEO payouts of excess of $40 million in compensation2. I have been struggling with the thought of having the government increase our deficit almost a trillion dollars to help salvage some hope in this crisis. I would have hoped that the elected officials of my state would have acted responsibly in this regard and focus on the matter at hand for the betterment of the country. I find this now not to be true. I have to ask for those who made an affirmative (Yea) vote for H.R. 1424, Did you actually know what you were voting for? If not, let me highlight some of the earmarks that were included in this bailout plan (that I would argue if you polled normal US citizens they would have thought only affected the financial crisis and market). In an original plan that started out being only 3 pages, allow me to help highlight portions of the now 451 page bill that some of you voted to pass:     

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Section 503: Exemption from excise tax for certain wooden arrows designed for use by children. This includes specific diameter specifications to receive this benefit. Section 317: Seven-year cost recovery period for motorsports racing track facility. This effectively extends some already ridiculous bill another 2 years retro-actively (how I read it). Section 325: Extension and modification of duty suspension on wool products; wool research fund; wool duty refunds. I honestly don’t know what to say here. Section 502: Provisions related to film and television productions. Wow, I didn’t realize that we had to help Hollywood when their movies are grossing millions. Section 305: Extension of 15-year straight-line cost recovery for qualified leasehold improvements and qualified restaurant improvements; 15-year straight-line cost recovery for certain improvements to retail space. Wow, good to know Chili’s and Target are accounted for here. Section 316: Railroad track maintenance. Can someone tell me how railroad track maintenance is related to a financial crisis? Section 322: Tax incentives for investment in the District of Columbia. Hmm, what makes DC so special? Why not rural areas or other states who could use some incentive for business into their areas? Section 504: Income averaging for amounts received in connection with the Exxon Valdez litigation. How on earth is an energy/waste situation applicable to our current economic situation. I like the gem though that anyone who receives these settlements “shall be treated as engaged in a fishing business.” Nice.

CEO Pay: These guys made how much? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26971241

The list goes on. Seriously…wool research and wooden arrows?! Can you see how this stuff looks to mainstream Americans? Ridiculous. Can you please take a moment and tell me how this applies to an economic stabilization? How about amending it to remove the state gas taxes? That goes into my pocket and is more palatable to me. Wool research? Doesn’t help me. I’m appalled at these earmarks that have been approved. I keep hearing more and more about how our politicians want to change this type of behavior and move away from serving lobbyists and serving the people. Senator McCain, you are most aggregious in this recent vote. In a televised interview3 you seem to denounce the earmarkings, yet you approved the bill? Explain yourself. You can’t campaign and put on one face and behind the scenes act another way. What happened to the 100% absolute truth Senator McCain? Whatever fence I may have been sitting on with regard to the election…it is no longer even swaying to your side. I’m also ashamed at Obama voting this approved for the record as well. But I’m more appalled at Senator McCain’s explanation of denouncing and approving in one breath. I fail to see how these additional provisions had anything to do with the reported emergency economic crisis and how those who voted affirmative for this bill can honestly say this “sweetened” the deal for them? Honestly, who are you working for? The people or your lobbyists? To that end in examining exactly what H.R. 1424 was “sweetened” to include and how my Arizona elected officials voted, I’m ashamed at those who voted affirmative. I applaud Representatives Franks, Grijalva, Renzi and Flake for your “Nay” votes in this matter. To Senators Kyl and McCain and Representatives Mitchell, Giffords and Shadegg, thank you for devaluing the dollar. Thank you for bailing out irresponsible people. Thank you for padding the almost trillion dollar deficit spending for wool research. I’ll think of your actions every time I put on a sweater. Sincerely,

Tim Heuer Registered voter and tax-payer

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MSNBC: morning Joe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i0su1roQLI