Letter To The Speaker

Ms. Pelosi,

Your characterization of a dissenter on the health care issue as "Astroturf" is insultingly smug and condescending.

I am apparently, in your book, a Homo astroturfus var. femalia.

I am not a crowd follower, a "plant", or a group member and I deeply resent your assertions to the contrary. I am me : American Citizen ! Hear me out .. that is what you are paid to do ...certainly not to insult and demean us.

If you have any fine tuning in your perception of the voters, it should tell you that many of us have simply reached the "tipping point" where we can no longer abide this rush-rush-rush, spend-spend-spend, cram-it -down -their-throats , don't-read- the- bill operation in Washington.

When the people are threatened by their government ( as in the "report fishy information campaign") and when the government is no longer working for the people back home , no wonder it brings frustration, anger, impatience and resentment to a head.

We are effectively broke in America. Stop spending . It is that simple. Ditch Cap and Trade for now. Work to get Medicare and Medicaid on sound fiscal footing and THEN try to better the overall health plans and options for people. Say no to stimulus # 2 . We could not even afford #1 !

And it is too late, but Cash for clunkers should never have gotten $2 billion more. What a pathetic program that :

a) tried to shore up "government motors " sales to make the decision to buy them out look smart.

b) assured lots of work for the Unions to make more cars ...ahhh , let me see....whose voter base do the unions fall under? Could be a case of long distance quid-pro-quo???

c) was a bald faced transfer of wealth . Take my $4,500 dollars of tax money and toss it to a guy who can now "upgrade" on my dime, while I, responsible citizen driving a fairly efficient car, can not get the $4,500.

d) destroy useful assets . Killing the cars ... strangling the motors and crushing the bodies. Apparently you do not live in the real world where folks go to junk yards in quest of a fender...or a starter ... or a radiator ... that is called recycling, my dear lady ! Not all of us are so affluent that we can pay a shop $500 for every little repair and , so, we have to do this stuff ourselves with used parts. Might I tell you that this is killing the small business man who runs a used car lot. He has very few cars at the auctions to offer for sale and few buyers, because you took my $4,500 and gave it to somebody else who is a buying new vehicle.

If this insanity of rush, spend, cram, push, and abuse continues, I assure you that I will work tirelessly for the defeat of any candidate who supported these measures.

Respectfully,

Mary G. Broyles
Hertford, NC