Open Letters to Our Leaders

Letter sent to Congresswoman Diana DeGette opposing the president's proposed troop expansion in Iraq.

As one of your constituents and a supporter, I am writing to request strongly that you vigorously oppose any expansion of American forces in the country of Iraq. President Bush has demonstrated pathological blindness to the events and trends unfolding in Iraq and his open-ended timelines for force expansions without clear objectives are unacceptable.

Instead of funding Bush’s $100,000,000,000 supplementary funding request, I propose that we do the following: give every Iraqi woman a bank account in her name worth $4000. At the current population of approximately 26.8 million, that would amount to $53 billion in funds. The funds would serve to establish a baseline income level for 2007, would be handed out to those least likely to spend the money on weapons, and may serve to stabilize the plummeting status of women in Iraqi society. We would also save almost %50 of the supplementary funding request and be able to tally a final cost to the war. I submit that this proposal would be a far better use of my grandchildren’s tax dollars than the current administration's plans.

While I realize that my proposal may seem foolish, it is doubly foolish to continue down this endless path that foments hatred against Americans, bankrupts our treasury, and needlessly costs the lives of American and Iraqi people. Please oppose Bush’s plan to send additional troops to Iraq and support a resolution that would demand an immediate withdrawal from the central and southern provinces.

Thank you for your time.