Congressman Hall

Below is a copy of a letter to my local congressman about the stimulus plan.

Congressman Hall,

I am a Political Science major from Poughkeepsie, NY who is currently enrolled in the State University of New York at Geneseo. Over the past weeks I have kept a close eye on the stimulus package and am increasingly becoming concerned regarding what this bill actually contains. Being a fiscal moderate, I was open to the idea of the stimulus, so let it be known that my concerns are not ideological. Why are members of congress using the stimulus plan as a chance to pack as much pork barrel spending into the bill as they can? A stimulus that is supposedly so important, so fundamental, so crucial to the lives of every American that we have elected officials using it for personal gain. What could be more un-American? I understand that many Senators are currently trying to trim the stimulus and eliminate some pork, but why did you feel the need to vote for a bill that contains so much in pork, that is essentially both socially and morally corrosive to our great society. In fact, I will be specific and name merely a few examples of such fiscally irresponsible spending, $335 million for the Centers for Disease Control to combat sexually-transmitted diseases, $200 million for new contraceptive service, $25 million for ATV trails, and a myriad of others. These projects do little to nothing to stimulate our economy and are ideological agenda setting for a government that is supposed to be the "change" we needed. I bring my concerns to you not out of anger, but out of sheer concern for our country. The indebtedness that is going to be left for both my generation and the generation after me will be extreme, and the money appropriated to these pork projects will just add an unnecessary burden. I know I speak for many in my district who are either too busy or too politically illiterate to voice their concerns, but who I assure you, they vote and vote often.