A letter to my elected officials

Below is a letter I have sent to my elected officials.  I hope you will take the time to send one to yours as well.  Feel free to use my letter as a structure but be sure to tailor it to your own area and family.

Dear Senators Maria Cantwell, Patty Murray, Congressman Adam Smith, and President Barack Obama,


My name is Cheryl Matthynssens and my sons are members of the Washington Army National Guard and Army. My sons have been serving our country for almost 8 years now.

We have all seen on the news and heard of the difficulties that our elected officials have had regarding the budget and have held out hope that they would come to their senses and resolve this issue in a timely fashion.


That however hasn’t happened. Many service men are now faced with deploying, leaving families behind, without the security of financial remuneration to take care of their loved ones. My oldest son opened his paycheck today and saw a debt balance due for almost half of his pay. In short...he is not being paid because our elected officials, yourself included, have failed to uphold your responsibilities to your constituents.

My oldest son's income is already low even as a sergeant leaving him living pay check to paycheck. He has a child and one on the way. Both my sons are very patriotic They serve this country and have deployed to Iraq at great sacrifice to their families. I know men are deploying even this week and had planned to do so, secure in the knowledge that their families will be financially provided for while they are gone. That security, no that trust...is lost!

Our soldiers should not be expected to continue to do what they do without compensation. Moreover, our government should not ask it of them. Do you work for free Senator? Would you go to a hostile environment and put your life on the line without pay? I think not. In fact, I find it embarrassing that our elected officials have secured their own paychecks during this time without ensuring that the individuals that protect this country get paid as well. That is fundamentally wrong!


This week, I got the privilege of my son calling in a panic unsure of how he was supposed to go into the field when he could not pay for the daycare required to do so. His wife has worked part time and will have to give up the job that they now need more then ever because our government has not paid them. They will have to hope that creditors understand that they will have to hold off on paying the bills this month.


I hope your family is safe and well fed and that you sleep well at night. I wouldn’t be able to if I were in your position. I would be ashamed.

Lastly I would like to make sure that you are aware that my parents, my family, we all vote! We will remember this at election time! Our elected officials have failed us. We will not forget.

One final note. If this is an aide reading this, please do not bother sending me a form letter. It would only add insult to injury.



Respectfully,


Cheryl L. Matthynssens

my son in the army and his daughter

THIS WAS WRITTEN BY A SOLDIER IN IRAQ .

THIS WAS WRITTEN BY A SOLDIER IN IRAQ And POSTED BY A SOLDIER'S MOTHER

I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael Jackson .. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer who performed for decades. He made Millions, he spent millions, and he did a lot of things that make
him a villain to many people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn't the point of my rant.

Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the country was to ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to flock to a memorial in Hollywood , and even Congress
sees the need to hold a "moment of silence" for his passing?

Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's a freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those Soldiers who, knowing that they would be
asked to fight in a war, still raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States of America .

Where is there moment of silence? Where are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a Soldier dies, there are more people saying "good ridence," and "Thank God for IEDs?" When did this country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a "Pop Icon?"

I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan They need to PUBLICLY recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for them.

But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.

Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it. Feel free to pass this along if you want. Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who
is serving in the military; "So that others may live..."
- Isaac