I continue to read the newsletters my U.S. Representative sends me. I don’t know why I keep subjecting myself to them. Why are we tempted to turn our heads and look when we pass an accident on the highway? My reading these newsletters falls in that same category.

In part, last Saturday he wrote, “Congressional Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, have officially forced the federal government into a shutdown. 

“Even though House Republicans passed a continuing resolution to fund the government two weeks ago, Senate Democrats are holding the federal government hostage.

“Like you, I believe your hard-earned tax dollars shouldn’t go towards [sic] absurd expenditures, like healthcare for illegal aliens, transgender surgeries, and payments for deceased individuals on Medicaid rolls. Yet these are among the absurd demands Democrats are making.”

He also wrote, “I am leading a dozen lawmakers in demanding accountability for the FDA’s approval of a lethal abortion drug…. The government shutdown is the perfect opportunity to clear out bureaucrats who are not aligned with the values of this Administration and the American people.”

My response to my Congressman

I copied my response to Congressman Harris. Unfortunately, I deleted it before I had a chance to paste it into this blog post.

I was respectful, but I told him I find his newsletters offensive. I told him in my 70+ years he is the first U.S. Representative I have ever had who continually blames the other political party for every problem in our country.

I told him I am offended that the Republicans, at the lead of President Trump, call Democrats, government employees, and journalists “enemies of the people.” I told him I don’t consider myself “an enemy of the people.”

I told him that he in no way represents me.

I told him that even though his newsletter usually mentions Christian values, I do not see any Christian values reflected in his newsletters or in anything President Trump says or does. I told him I see nothing in the Trump Administration that reflect the teachings of Jesus Christ.

I wish I had thought to point out to him that it is against the law to fire federal employees just for the fun of it during a government shutdown, so it’s not the “perfect opportunity to clear out bureaucrats who are not aligned with the values of this Administration and the American people.” Of course, that won’t stop Trump from doing it.

I told him “I see our country crumbling, and it is a sad and horrifying thing to see.”

Here’s the response I received from Representative Mark Harris

[This section of my blog has been left blank because I have not received a response from Representative Harris.]

In conclusion

It’s a bad feeling when you know your President sees you as less than human (i.e., last Saturday’s “gnat” comment) because you’re a registered Democrat. It’s starting to feel like my Congressman agrees with him.

I miss the “good old days” when Americans were Americans and not seen as liberals or conservatives, Democrats or Republicans, human beings or “gnats.” States were just states. They weren’t “red states” and “blue states.” Just states. Just the United States.

I dream of the day when we can go back to just being Americans.

Janet