I am taking this opportunity to post a duplicate of the letter that I emailed Senator Begich this evening. Currently, the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) is one vote short of having the needed 60 votes to pass the Senate. Voting is on party lines, a single exception is the Democrat Senator from Nebraska that is vowing to vote "No" unless the abortion issue is resolved in the bill. The Health care plan contains over 2,000 pages and no one except the "special committee" has seen the bill. All the Senators will have less than two days to read, understand, and vote on this legislation just because the "Executive Branch" wants it passed before Christmas. This legislation affects every citizen and amounts to over one trillion dollars in nation debt. I would like to see them take a little time, cool down, and spend the time on a bill that all can agree upon. Is that possible in Washington D.C.?

December 18, 2009

Senator Mark Begich

U.S. Senator, State of Alaska

Dear Senator Begich;

I would like to take this opportunity to wish both you and your family a very Merry Christmas. I am taking this opportunity to voice my concern in the direction that our beloved country has taken during the past eleven months. In my lifetime, I have never witnessed the politics that I have seen in Washington D.C. during the past year. The spectacle that I have witnessed is just not in the U.S. Senate, but also in the U.S. House of Representative with the Executive Branch being the worst offenders.

I have been a resident of the State of Alaska since 1956. I retired after twenty years active duty with the U.S. Navy. Two of my four children were born in Alaska; ten of my thirteen grandchildren were also born in Alaska, as were my two great grandchildren. Like your family, our family has roots in Alaska.

Our founding fathers formed this nation by writing a four-page document known as the Constitution. The principal of the document was simple; representatives would be elected to the Senate, House of Representative, and the Presidency to represent their constituents when enacting legislation. Although the lack of representation has been lacking over the past number of years, during this past eleven months it appears to have disappeared all together.

This is very apparent when one looks at the national polls for both houses and the Executive Branch. We, the voting public feel that we have been forgotten by our representatives. We continue to see legislation after legislation, amounting to billions of dollars being passed by both house and signed into law by the President. The national debt is at the point that my great grandchildren will be paying for the errors made in the past eleven months.

The national medical plan that is in debate at this time is a prime example of the ineptness of the current leadership and representatives. Again, all the national polls, whether they tend to be conservative or liberal indicate that the majority of the population of our country does not favor this legislation. In Alaska, the latest poll numbers that I saw was that 68% of the Alaskans were not in favor of this legislation. To compound the problem, Senator Reid is developing this legislation behind “closed doors”.

It appears that only a select few in the Senate knows what is going on with this bill. Senators are being bought off by “pork funds” attached to other appropriation bills for their vote. Senator Begich, I could care less if you ever bring the “pork” home to Alaska, just represent us as you have taken an oath to do. I have a great deal of respect for Senator McCain for not taking the “pork” home to Arizona. Evidently, his constituents are also proud as they continue to return him to the Senate each election.

To compound the problem, you as a Senator will only be allowed a couple of days to read and digest a bill before the Senate that contains over 2,000 pages of a new law that will affect every citizen of the United States. The current goal is to have this legislation pass in the Senate before Christmas. Common sense tells me that it is impossible to read, understand, and vote in favor of this legislation in a six-day period.

It is time for the Senators and Representatives to step up and set the example that their vote cannot be bought and that they will not sign every piece of legislation developed by the Executive Branch. Stand up, Senator Begich and let the leadership know that you represent the people of Alaska, not the Democrat or Republican Party or the President of the United States. It would be a “breath of fresh air” to actually see one of our elected representatives make this stand. Set the example and others will follow. Our founding fathers would be proud.

I encourage you to take this stand, remember the vote that you cast represents the Alaskans at home; it is not your personal vote. Strand up Senator Begich and vote “No” on the Health Care Plan until it is more clearly defined by a committee that represents the people, not the party, administration, or special interest groups. We would be proud of you if you took the stand.

Respectfully,

Stanley R. Harrington