Dear Congressman Frelinghuysen,
Being a Republican in your district, I feel ashamed to keep calling myself by that party name since we are now being labeled the party of fiscal irresponsibility. Since you are currently the chair of the Appropriations Committee, I figured you’d be the best person to send a letter to, particularly because you are my congressman as well.
The omnibus budget recently presented, under the typical fear-mongering of a government shutdown, is a detriment to the Republican Party and its members. If we want to pass a tax reform plan, and I largely support the president’s tax plan, then we need to act on what we preach: less government and more money back to the taxpayer. Tax cuts and reform are only half of the equation. We need to cut spending and quickly. Even if tax cuts increase the amount of revenue the government takes in, it’s still beneficial for all involved to come up with a balanced budget. Our children and future generations are at risk of seeing a very different country if we do not; that should be scarier than a short-term government shutdown.
Obviously you feel you are under fire by groups protesting outside your offices, many of which are on Twitter and Facebook, one being “NJ 11th for Change.” I certainly applaud their efforts to be engaged citizens. I agree you need to hear out everyone in your district, whether they are conservatives, liberals, libertarians, socialists, or any other philosophy. And many of them have good ideas on topics that should be heard.
But ultimately it’s your job to be the leader, not a follower of polls, vocal groups, and special interests. The ultimate goal is to make the citizens of New Jersey and the country more prosperous and in charge of their own lives. We all differ on the means (after all, the only person we agree with 100% of the time is ourselves), but if we lead with our own philosophy and vision and reach the same end result, then everyone is better off. Being a liberty-leaning Republican, I feel underrepresented in Congress, much like NJ 11th for Change does. But I never see you or many other of the New Jersey congressmen attempt to reach out to us, even though we are technically on the same side.
I suppose we aren’t loud enough, or you feel our vote for you is taken for granted because we are Republicans?
The next few weeks will be dispositive. I can say without a doubt: I will not automatically vote for you next cycle if I don’t feel represented, especially because you are a Republican and supposedly smaller government is still a part of the GOP platform. At least Democrats don’t profess to be for limited government so if government grows; it is always to their benefit regardless if that person has a R or D next to their name.
And now we have President Trump criticizing the “archaic rules” of Congress and the Constitution, part of which he did on the campaign trail, too. I obviously find these statements a bit disturbing as a strong supporter of the U.S. Constitution. The point of American government as designed by our Founding Fathers was to make the process slow, and plodding, because they felt the greatest threat to freedom were legislators who wanted to constantly pass new laws. More laws, by definition, make us less free. And I can say without a doubt there are so many laws on the books currently and well outside the scope of the U.S. Constitution that, were he alive today, Alexander Hamilton might be fighting on the side of libertarians.
What’s more, I hope you inform the president that government was purposefully set up to NOT be “efficient” like business and that’s what made our form of government, Republicanism, so unique. And let’s not forget that’s where the name of our party comes from.
I want to be solution-oriented. Therefore, I am formally offering my services. I would be very glad, as a citizen of your district, and a scientist who loves math, to go over the very budget with you and your staff to find necessary cuts even if it’s for the 2018 omnibus budget. I would be glad to dedicate many of my non-working hours for this noble endeavor. I feel it is my duty as a citizen to help work for a better future, especially considering I’m from a state (New Jersey) that constantly runs budget deficits and taxes its citizens to the point where they’re desperate for an exit plan (and then, ironically, they’re taxed as they leave).
Sincerely,
A Concerned Constituent of the NJ 11th Legislative District
Vincent La Iacona
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