I am, as you all no doubt are aware, a fairly patriotic American, and as such, I am very interested in the activities and decisions of my elected representatives. I keep up with what they do, how they vote, what they support or don’t support. And, sometimes, I write to them when I feel they've let me or our country down on something important. That's the only way they can know if they're representing me, and as a busy professional, I understand well how hard it is to keep up on everything that's happening in the world.
Sometimes, I become aware of something that I want to ask my elected representative to engage in. An issue, perhaps, that needs visibility, or sponsorship, or just a focus brought to it that I don't see reflected in the current state of affairs.
As a citizen of Texas for many years, my elected representatives received several letters from me on issues of concern at the local, state, and even Federal level. More often than not, I received a response, and these responses were on-point, and usually had an actual signature and directions for learning more, further engaging with them in the democratic process, or helpful information on how to respond back.
In short, I felt... Represented.
During my time in Arkansas... Same way. There was even an occasion where I received a personal phone call from the representative, to better explore and understand what I wrote him about.
Now, I live in California.
And, I recently learned about something that I consider a serious injustice to a group of people who have, like my father and many of my dearest friends, honorably and bravely served this great country. There are no bigger heroes, and no finer examples of American pride and duty than our military officers, those brave souls who have devoted their lives and careers to the mantle of freedom under which I rest peacefully each night. Men and women who have sacrificed their family time, countless holidays, dry clothes, warm showers, flush toilets, soft toilet paper, q-tips, hot food, clean water, air conditioning, and sometimes, their best friends. And, to my unceasing amazement, they’ve done it without a single complaint. No whining. No occupying. And no discussion about what anyone owes them. They are humble. Modest. And because of those character traits, it falls to us, who owe them a debt of gratitude that we can never hope to repay, to ensure that they are cared for and treated with the respect they’ve earned and so richly deserve. Why? Because speaking up for themselves is not part of their code, their character.
So, what was it that so offended my sense of right and wrong? Our government, in November of last year, made a decision to separate many of these heroes from their careers, involuntarily, because of the ongoing drawdown of US forces, and in so doing, cost them their retirement...their hard earned benefits...their financial security. A decision like this in the private sector would be met with swift legal action... And given the size of the group impacted, perhaps a class action, and at the least, restitution - at the most, punishment of the offending company, both financial and reputational. But, guess what? You can't sue the military like you can a corporation for wrongful termination, or for that matter, much of anything else. So, these guys are at the mercy of our elected representatives to make the government right this wrong. And that takes a groundswell of support by more than a few of them – by drafting or supporting legislation, for example..... And you guessed it, that sort of thing only starts because of a groundswell of support from us, letting them know we call them to act on this issue, immediately – after all, isn’t that what we sent them to Washington DC to do?
So I did what I've always done. Wrote to them. Explained in clear language what happened, why it's wrong, and what they can do to fix it. I wrote to my California elected representatives. I wrote to members of Congress who've heard from me before, even though I've moved away. I even wrote to the White House.
Here is one example of what I wrote:
H.R.3904 Keep America's Promises Act
I am writing as your constituent in the 42nd Congressional district of California. I am writing to express my support for H.R. 3904, the “Keep America’s Promises Act.” Most importantly, I am writing to ask you to express YOUR support for this important Act.
Last year, the United States Air Force involuntarily separated 157 officers who were twice deferred from promotion to 0-5. I write you to urge you to support the bill that reverses this insensitive action.
In the past, such officers have been continued until retirement eligibility at 20 years, or at least have been offered voluntary incentives to accept early separation or retirement.
I firmly believe based on the precedent of the drawdown of the 1990s that officers with at least 15 years of service should not be subject to involuntary separation during a drawdown period – and it appears Congress fully agrees, given the recent reauthorization of Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA).
This bill would correct the Air Force’s injustice by retroactively authorizing TERA to qualifying service members subjected to last year’s drawdown efforts.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta recently said, “We have a volunteer force that is the heart and soul of our military strength, and we have to do everything possible to protect that volunteer force.”
This bill does exactly that. Please show your support of our men and women who serve and have served their country. Please pledge your strong support to win prompt passage of the “Keep America’s Promises Act.”
Sincerely,
Paula Barton, BS PharmD JD CHC
The response I got shocked me.
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D, CA] on March 15, 2012:
Dear Paula:
Thank you for writing to express your opposition to increasing
healthcare costs for military service members, retirees, and their
families. Your correspondence is important to me, and I welcome this
opportunity to respond.
I have the utmost respect and admiration for service members and
Veterans, and as a U.S. Senator I have worked hard to ensure that they
and their families receive the benefits they have earned. Further, I
have consistently supported attempts to reduce their financial burden
when it comes to medical care and access to prescription drugs.
The recently enacted fiscal year 2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act
(Public Law 112-74) provides $32.5 billion for the Defense Health
Program, which serves 9.6 million service members and military retirees,
their survivors and their dependents. This represents an increase of
$283 million over the President's budget request.
As you may know, military-related health care costs have grown by more
than 300 percent over the last decade. Given the current size of the
annual defense budget, Congress will need to scrutinize the Department
of Defense's spending programs as part of an overall effort to reduce
the budget deficit. This review must be done in a fair and judicious
manner and with the input of all interested parties, including our
service members, Veterans and their families.
In the coming years, Congress will be required to make tough spending
decisions. However, please know that I remain committed to ensuring
that those who served our nation honorably, and their families, are
adequately cared for. Be assured that I have noted your views on this
issue, and I will keep them in mind as Congress debates defense spending
going forward.
Again, thank you for writing. I hope that you will continue to write on
matters of importance to you. Should you have any further comments or
questions, please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. office at
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
I sent the same letter to President Obama. Here was the response I received from him:
March 28, 2012
Dear Friend:
Thank you for writing. Every day, I hear from Americans who join me in expressing support for our troops, and I appreciate your perspective.
One of the most humbling parts of my job as President is serving as Commander-in-Chief of the finest military the world has ever known. My most sacred obligation is to support our Nation’s heroes and their families not only in times of war, but also throughout their lives. From the moment an American enlists in our Armed Forces, we endeavor to match the depth of their devotion with a solemn duty to provide the clearest mission, best intelligence, and most advanced tools they need to succeed.
Supporting our troops on the battlefield is only the beginning of our lifelong commitment to our heroes. My Administration has unveiled numerous efforts to uphold our obligations to our service members and aid in their transition from active duty to veteran status. Too many veterans struggle to find jobs worthy of their talents and experience upon returning home, so on November 21, 2011, I signed the VOW to Hire Heroes Act into law to fight veteran unemployment. Part of the American Jobs Act, this bill encourages private industry to hire unemployed veterans and wounded warriors through several generous tax credits. Other innovative programs have also been enacted, including a Joining Forces challenge to America’s businesses to hire 100,000 veterans and military spouses, a Veterans Gold Card program providing enhanced services to our troops, a Veterans Job Bank with more than a million job listings from companies looking to hiring service members, and an online tool called My Next Move for Veterans that matches veterans with civilian careers.
We will continue doing whatever it takes to serve our heroes as well as they serve us. We are building on the progress we have already made by expanding access to high-quality child care services for military families and increasing military compensation, including basic pay and a variety of other benefits. We are also working to improve outreach and treatment services for those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. To learn more about these programs and other resources to help veterans get back to work, please visit
www.WhiteHouse.gov/Vets and
www.JoiningForces.gov.
Thank you, again, for contacting me. I wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
My first thought was, wait… WHAT? Did either of you actually READ what I wrote? I mean, I don't know how you feel, but I assure you the LAST thing I feel after reading these ‘responses’ is represented. In fact, I must say, I sincerely hope they didn't read my letter, because the clear failure to grasp the meaning of it, if they did, scares me more than the alternative - which is the utter disinterest they appear to have in the subject matter. I suppose I should be grateful – Barbara Boxer didn’t bother to reply at all, and neither did Representative Gary Miller.
So, now? Well, I was angry at Uncle Sam for turning his back on 157 hard working military leaders.
But now, I am FURIOUS at our elected representatives for TURNING THEIR BACKS ON ALL OF US. And if you’re not, wait until something like this happens to you. Or your loved one, husband, sister, best friend. Because if they are this unconcerned about the things that matter to the people they say they serve, this great country is in serious trouble.
I’ll be sending the entirety of THIS letter to every member of Congress, as well as President Obama, again. If you feel compelled to do the same, I know at least 157 people that would deeply appreciate your support, but are far too humble to ever ask for it. So guess what, friends? I’m asking you, because I know that if ever a time comes that I find myself in a situation like this one….well, you have no better friend than a member of our armed services. And to the ‘representative government’ – you have no worse enemy than the American citizen and patriot, once we tire of your faithlessness, egocentrism, and total disregard for our interests. You were elected on a promise of servant leadership – but it’s up to US to hold you to it.
Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing. ~Edmund Burke
To show your support or write Congress – this site makes it easy:
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