A letter to Washington, from the heartland...

"Out here in the hinterland, we don't do 'Washington speak'. We do however, understand promises and results. And more importantly, we know how to vote."

Like many of us, sometimes I wonder if we are on the same page as our elected representatives. So, I have decided to do an open letter for all to read. However in reality - none will read it. I know that. But it will be a cathartic act for me to write it. And it will be done in bullet points, so please don't send me angry mail that my letter formatting is all screwed up. Here it goes:

Dear President Trump and the members of Congress - I am sending you this open letter to let you know how I, and based on some folks I have talked with, also feel about certain important things. Things which are very important to get done, and done soon.

• Tax changes and relief - When I was a young man with a young family, Ronald Reagan was President. He promised an earth shaking tax plan with significant tax relief should he be elected President. Well, he was elected, and he did. My family went from just getting by, to being able to enjoy more of our money. I was a huge game changer. This "historic" tax plan which has been rolled out by the Administration, is full of nothing for many of us. In fact, I did some math based on some of the assumptions I think is in the plan, and it is not good. This retired guy, who is not rich, will end up paying more. That, is not tax relief. Plus our tax code will continue to be a thick as a King James Bible. Pull it back, and start over again. This time do it right.
• Healthcare - Why is this so hard to understand? The roots of ObamaCare have grown way too deep in our soil. "Repeal and replace" has failed twice. Tom Price, who was suppose to be the smartest guy in Washington on healthcare reform, did nothing. He took the job just to travel and see places. Face facts. We need to fix ObamaCare in a bipartisan fashion. It pains me to say this, but it is the truth. We can't let ObamaCare (as written) continue on. And obviously, we don't know how to fix it by ourselves. Sometimes, you need to dance with the devil to get something done. This is one of those times.
• Infrastructure - This is one of those campaign promises which looked like a no-brainer to keep. The Democrats were all in on this one. But here it is October, and nothing has been done as yet. Guess which part of the infrastructure I hear about the most? The power grid. I have written about this so many times my fingers are almost numb. We have recently seen how Puerto Rico has been absolutely paralyzed when their grid went down during Maria. We have known since the 1980's our grid was in trouble - and vulnerable to attack. GET THIS DONE NOW!  
• Storm Damage - The American people are not stupid. We have had three monster storms create havoc in Texas, Florida, American Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The final toll the federal government will pick up is going to be staggering. It will be measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars. The President needs to explain to the American people where this money is going to come from. For a nation which is now over $20T in debt, that kind of money does not just grow on trees. This might need to be factored in with the tax plan which needs to be revised.
• Entitlement and Pension Liabilities -  Once again, the American people are not stupid. If our entitlements and pensions need to be reformed, you need to explain to the American people how you are going to do it. What this means to those who are collecting entitlements and pensions, as well as those who will be. To allow this issue to continue to be kicked down the street is the ultimate in financial irresponsibility.

There is more to address, but that is good for now. Out here in the hinterland, we don't do "Washington speak". We do however, understand promises and results. And more importantly, we know how to vote. That is a good thing for you folks on the Potomac to remember.