Cynthia and Rod Speak
January 9, 2013
Congressman Tim Huelskamp received permission to share the following letter he received from constituents in Sabetha, Kansas on January 2, 2013. The letter is written to President Obama.
Dear Mr. President,
We’re from Kansas. We’re probably some of the “unwashed masses” who “cling to our guns and religion.” But allow us to help you understand why we support our Kansas representatives who voted against the “fiscal cliff” legislation.
In Kansas, we were raised to accept responsibility for ourselves. We accept (and even celebrate) the fact that we should feed, clothe, and shelter our own children. We know that the Honey Boo Boos of this world need moms and dads to hug them, discipline them, read to them, teach them to say their prayers, and tuck them in to a warm, secure bed at night, not exploit them on “reality shows.”
We know that we have the best healthcare in the world, that it’s expensive, and that it’s our responsibility to make sure that we have health care coverage…and then we hope that we never need to use the coverage.
We know that we can’t spend more money than we earn, that someday we’ll probably be unable to work, and at that point, we will need retirement savings to live off of. So we’d better be saving for that time now while we are able to work.
We own guns to hunt with and occasionally euthanize some of our livestock here on the farm, although we’d rather not have that occasion. We hope that it will never be necessary for people in this great country to use those guns to protect themselves from an oppressive government, although we realize it had to be done during revolutionary times, and it’s possible that that time may come again…but we know that guns should never be used to harm innocent people.
We appreciate the business people in this country. They provide jobs, donate to charities, and support our local schools and churches. We certainly don’t think that they should pay a disproportionately high amount of taxes. Who will do what they do for this country if they are taxed out of business?
We know that “in this world we will have trouble” (John 16:33) and the choices and decisions we make can add to those troubles, and we don’t always make the right choices. But we know that by supporting and working with our friends, families and neighbors, we can help each other through times of trouble. We think that folks who have suffered misfortunes in life should be cared for by families, communities, and churches.
You see, Mr. President, we don’t think it’s the government’s job to take care of our children, provide us with health care, fund our retirement, take away our guns, and tax and regulate businesses out of existence. We believe our government (like our households), need to balance their budgets, reduce spending during hard times, and certainly not borrow against our children’s futures…and the recently passed legislation doesn’t do this.
It’s painful to wake up on January 2nd and see headlines such as “GOP is Heartless” and “What do Republicans Want?” We enjoy living simple lives in Kansas, and we’ve been blessed beyond measure. We have happy families, we’re committed to each other and to God, and we want to continue this lifestyle. I hope this helps you understand why our representatives from Kansas voted against this legislation. We thank them for taking a stand for us.
Sincerely,
Rod & Cynthia