Dear
Senator Lee.
I am a college student from Provo Utah studying Actuarial Science. For
years I've taken interest in political and economic issues. I'm registered to
vote as independent but I'm generally conservative and I voted for you and
Congressmen Chaffetz in the 2010 midterms. I was little hesitant to do so
however because both of you are considered members of the TEA Party movement
which at the time I wasn't sure I could embrace.
This past week Senator
Cruz of Texas made the news with a 21 hour speech fighting Obamacare. From what
I've read in the news you supported him in his speech. I read an article in the
Huffington Post (which admittedly might lean left) describing you two as the
odd men out in the senate. Even among the Republicans.
To see the news
headlines this week saying such things as "Ted Cruz gives marathon speech
against Obamacare," or "house republicans move towards
shutdown," make me think of two words, "Partisan gridlock."
The Affordable Care
Act is often referred to as "Obamacare." For this reason everyone
connects it President Obama and the Democrats. When I see the republicans
trying to attack Obamacare it comes across of very partisan. The point of my
letter is not that the GOP should accept defeat on Obamacare or that some parts
of the law may be beneficial. Instead I'm writing to tell you that I believe
that the GOP needs to be the party of financial responsibility rather than the
party of reduce funding for everything with Obama's name on it.
I truthfully don't
believe that Obamacare is the enemy. I think the enemy is anything financially
irresponsible. In the past few years since the GOP became the house majority
they have tried to slow down the growth of the debt ceiling. I believe that
this was partially out of a desire to but heads with the democrats or brand
them as financially irresponsible but I also believe that it was the result of
politicians deciding that the national debt was way too large and that we
simply just can't let it grow without trying to slow it down. I think that was
a few steps in the right direction but now I'm not sure if the republicans are
still walking that path.
For example. If the
republicans want to lower funding for 10 different provisions of Obamacare that
makes them come across to me as very partisan and poor political sportsmanship.
(By that I mean not willing to accept defeat) If the republicans want to attack
30 different provisions of irresponsible spending and 7 or 8 of them just so
happen to be in Obamacare then I would feel that they are more concerned about
America then about the status of their party or of the other party.
My mom recently
attended the Utah County GOP convention. She said she wasn't won over so much
by what you said about gun rights but she thought it was interesting that
congressmen Chaffetz said that he was investigating why the government had
large surplus of ammunition when at the same the border patrol doesn't have
enough ammo to practice with. During one of the Presidential debates Governor
Romney said that his rule of thumb would be that for every spending question he
would ask himself, "is this so important that we need to borrow money from
China to pay for it?" I'm sure you agree with that Obamacare doesn't make
the mark and you may even be able to prove that it is hurting the economy but I
believe that what's in America's interests is to look at the larger picture and
not just one law.
