Rep. Neugebauer's Newsletter

Open e-mail to Rep. Neugebauer:

Randy,

I read your latest newsletter. Thanks.

I agree with your efforts to remove the sagebrush lizard and the prairie chicken from the endangered species list. They were only put on the list as a subterfuge to inhibit oil production in Texas. We can't have that. Use whatever means you can to get rid of the inhibition.

My heart also bleeds for the 30 Americans killed in Afghanistan, but war is war. Do we expect no one to be killed in a military war? The obvious way to stop it is to get out of Afghanistan. We should not have been there in the first place.

The downgrading by S&P of US government bonds from AAA to AA+ is exactly the appropriate thing to do. I disagree completely that S&P should have considered political considerations. They are a rating agency for investments, and they see the credit rating of the United States reduced because it is presently spending $4 billion per day more than its income, with essentially no hope for improvement. In fact, I'm surprised that they didn't downgrade the government bonds to a B. The public will also remember that it was Congress, as well as the President, that put us in this position, even if you personally tried to avoid it. I took it on the chin today in the stock market, and I will long remember what the socialist President and socialist Congress have done to me. It will be more than another year before we have an opportunity to throw out this President and the socialists in Congress, but can we wait that long? We need some real innovative thinking and action in order to save our country. I beg you to work on it.

With respect to jobs, it is a sad situation. 117,000 Jobs being created to reduce the employment rate to 9.1 is miniscule, especially considering the fact that the employment rate was probably reduced more by people being discouraged from even applying for jobs. I believe you're on right track in trying to find ways for the government to be less intrusive in business. Congress has traditionally used legislation as controls, except for the ridiculous notions of stimulus payments. Congress should now be spending its time on legislation to undo the previously established restrictions, including and especially those of the various government agencies, which Congress previously set up.

Concentration on the FAA employees is silly. The director of the FAA is supposed to handle this. Congress should not be meddling with it. If the FAA Director is not doing his job, Congress should put pressure on the President to fire him. If that doesn't work, find some other way to obtain an appropriate director.