My Letter to my Congressman Jared Polis on the Debt Ceiling Debate

I hope this helps!  I wonder if they have time to read it?

-DK

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RE: Debt Limit Vote - let's do a "Grander" $10T Barga

 

Hi Jared,

We met a few years ago in a meeting with Don Springer & myself, talking about social media and your eduction initiatives.   I'm happy to report that since then, I've become a US Citizen, one of the proudest moments of my life.   As a former Canadian, this is weirdly a bigger deal than you think.   99% of Boulderites I know wax poetically about one day moving to Canada.  I know better - the USA is the best country on earth because Americans are TRULY committed to freedom of speech, liberty, and the animal spirits that keep generations of entrepreneurs (like yourself!) looking for ways to better themselves, their families and the people around them.  And if they make a buck along the way, that is not just OK, that is the American Dream.

I consider myself a "90% Libertarian".   The government has an obligation to the bottom 5 or 10% of society who truly can't help themselves, and (in the word's of Pierre Trudeau, former Canadian Liberal Prime Minister) certainly "has no role in the nation's bedrooms".   But I am fiscally conservative because of that same philosophy of liberty - the government should not be a vehicle for immense transfers of wealth from one part of society to another, except where we really need to help folks.   Maybe this makes me a "compassionate conservative"?

So when I see the debate in Washington around the debt ceiling in the past couple of weeks, it feels like we have the chance to FINALLY make a grand bargain.   I don't understand why we are talking about $2.8 or $3.3 Trillion in cuts over 10 years, and not seizing the moment to go for $10 Trillion.    Or whatever the number is that puts on a path NEXT YEAR to spend within our means.   My wife & I have have adopted some wonderful 60 year old long-time Boulder Democrats as parents here, and they are practical AARP types who are in favor of not passing a burden onto the next generation.   I think we have a chance (Boehner seems to be willing to whip the Tea Party Republicans into line) to finally put some sacred cows out to pasture (I'm Vegan, so we can't shoot the cows).   Let's do crazy things.  Let's raise the social security age each year until we get to 72.  Let's not pay for all drugs for seniors.   Let's make social security more like a 401K, where people can choose their level of risk.   Let's get rid of all corporate subsidies, Freddie-Mae & Mac (the Canadians achieved ~67% home ownership, higher than the US, without them - there are LOTS of private lenders who will step up to lend).  Let's get rid of Mortgage deductions.  Let's replace Corporate & capital taxes with a 10% VAT.  Let's make the tax system have lower rates, and eliminate all the stupid, random, distorting, paper-work demanding deductions & credits.   Let's get the government OUT of healthcare and let the technical innovators (like you!) get the price of a cardiac stent down to $800, so nobody need "health insurance" and can simply buy it.   Let's unleash the power of the market and liberty to solve problems, but maintain a Government Department of Writing Checks to Do Things for the few areas where we truly need to take care of that small part of society that needs help.

It feels like a great "out" in this debate on the Hill is to make a grander deal..  Let's do $12 Trillion in cuts.   Reform all the sacred cows.   Let's get ourselves on a path for 8% growth for the next 10 years.    If you do that, the Democrats will credit for it and be the party that finally "fixed" Washington.  I'm a Republican, but I reward results, so if you guys can pull it off, you get my vote.

Keep up the good work representing us.

-Darren Kelly