Recently I attempted to write to Brian Fitzpatrick, the U. S. Congressman in the district next to mine. His website is filled with “bipartisan” this and “bipartisan” that and so I thought he might be willing to take a leadership role in preventing the catastrophe of either the United States becoming a deadbeat nation unwilling to pay our debts or a nation that pays its debts by making life harsher for those who need the help of government. Representative Fitzpatrick’s website rejected my note automatically because I have exceeded the 500 character limit he has for communications – that is 500 characters not 500 words – and because my ZIP Code falls in a different congressional district.

I have decided to share my note more widely in the hopes that some people who live in the proper ZIP Codes will write their own 500 characters to Representative Fitzpatrick. It is past time for him and others who claim labels of moderate or bipartisan to be part of a bipartisan commitment to a straight up and down vote on paying our debts and a separate commitment to a full discussion on how to deal with government spending, fair taxation, and a commitment to helping those in need. Following that Representative Fitzpatrick might consider being bipartisan about voting rights, the right to an abortion, addressing the climate crisis immediately, assuring the safety of our water supply and a host of other issues where a small gaggle of extremists in his party are preventing Congress from addressing very basic human needs.

Here is my original letter:

Dear Representative Fitzpatrick –

As our nation careens toward a social and economic disaster I believe you have the power to prevent such a catastrophe. It is simply immoral to try to balance the federal budget on the backs of the most vulnerable of our neighbors. Yet the Republican demand for less public spending and simultaneously rejecting taxation of the most affluent among us does just that. Children will go hungry. Veterans will lose access to essential healthcare. Low-income people and those living with disabilities will lose access to essential health and social services. At a time of virtual full employment, we will subject those who need public benefits to an endless search for jobs that do not exist and which, even if they did exist, most could not fill and still care for their families. You voted for these immoral cuts, possibly because you thought it was simply a tactic to draw attention to the problem of budget deficits. But now that tactical vote has become an actual risk of catastrophe.

If you would simply say that it is time for a straight up and down vote on paying the debts we have legally incurred to be followed by a full discussion of budget priorities others who are moderates within the Republican party would follow and the budget crisis would be over. I recognize that this takes courage, the courage to stand up to a leadership that is far more willing to risk catastrophe than the people of Bucks County or Pennsylvania. Time is short. Please show the leadership that is necessary to represent your district.

Thank you for considering this.

Robert J. Brand

NOW IT IS UP TO ALL OF US. Please take a moment to write to Representative Fitzpatrick. Try to confine your sense of urgency to 500 characters and, write to him even if you’re in the wrong ZIP Code. If enough people write to him he might even answer.