An Open Letter to Congressman Hultgren: Are You a Doer Or a Taker?

Dear Congressman Hultgren,

Here we are at the end of the year, the dark and cold of winter. Congressman, we think this is a good time to ponder and reflect about the three faces of welfare recipients in our country.  (Let’s define welfare as financial support from either government or private sources.) 

Let’s look at the first face of welfare – the people you call the “takers” (not doers).  But wait, who do we see?  We mostly see single moms, the unemployed, the underemployed, veterans, the elderly, the ill, the mentally disabled and handicapped.  In other words, we see the poor and powerless, people conservatives deem unworthy of care and attention, not really important citizens of this Democracy.

Now we move to the next face of welfare … so buckle up because we’re going straight to the top.  Look, corporate welfare! Men in suits, the bankers and Wall Street movers and shakers, the energy corporations, agribusiness, all those corporations that pay no taxes because they have engineered tax loopholes in their favor.  Corporations that receive subsidies paid for by the American taxpayers.  Remember, corporations are people now according to the Supreme Court.  AND, they are very important (people) because even though they can’t vote, they can write and influence legislation (ALEC). And, at this very moment, they are currently writing the TransPacific Partnership Treaty (TPP), which will favorably benefit their profits, but not so much for the rest of us.  With their wealth and power, these important welfare recipients have corrupted the legislative process, exerted undue influence over our elected representatives, and threaten our Democracy.

Finally we visit the third face of welfare.  Congressman, are you still with us?  You should be familiar with this one.  Here we are at Capitol Hill.   That’s right political welfare!

Let’s zoom in on your House of Representatives.  You earn a good salary. You have pension benefits and healthcare, too.  How many days was Congress in session this year?  How many bills were passed?  Oh, and that’s right! You were the only one in the Illinois delegation who voted to close down the Government at a taxpayer cost of $25 billion.

We think that qualifies you as taker, not a doer.

Perhaps you will make it a New Year’s Resolution to go out into our  district and connect with more of the people you represent, not just those who support you.  Maybe you could work on bringing jobs to IL-14, support a minimum wage increase and support the extension of unemployment benefits.  Maybe then we’ll see a change in a few faces of welfare.