Vote for Unemployment Benefits: An Open Letter to my Congressman, the Honorable Edward R. Royce, (R-CA)

To the Honorable Edward R. Royce,

I am disappointed in your recent vote against the extension of unemployment insurance and I urge you to vote for any new bills that provide not only unemployment benefits, but any short-term stimulus measures such as infrastructure projects and state budget relief that helps schools and state services. We recently pulled our kids out of Los Alamitos public schools and put them in private school because class-sizes are getting too big.

Without appropriate investments in our public schools and in new industries that create sustainable job growth, we may never completely recover from this recession. Endless tax-cuts and a failure to adequately invest in public services will certainly relegate California and the U.S. to second-tier nation status as China and India rise.

The free-market has no conscience and no rudder, and cannot solve all our problems. Government must sometimes step forward to help solve big problems and adequately serve the interests of the people. Deficit-reduction and austerity measures can wait until we get this economy back on its rails. I urge you to vote for more stimulus spending until private industry is able to create enough innovation and the long-term jobs necessary to grow the economy.

Sincerely,
Eric Forst

Recent Comments on Socialism

Here's a comment I posted to the Seeking Alpha Blog, in response to another author's comment that appears to conflate Socialism with Fascism:

"I like most of your ideas, Oldfoxbob, and ironically most of your ideas like making the rich pay more in taxes, giving welfare to the poor, extending unemployment benefits and creating jobs with government projects are things Democrats want and they are all things the right calls Socialism, and many of these ideas are present in Socialist countries. 

The problem is that Fox News and the GOP have succeeded in brainwashing average Americans into equating ANY government project with Socialism and making you think that Fascism = Socialism, when in fact they are not equal. What we have had in the US since the mid-19th century is a mixed economy that combines public and private enterprise.

Just as we have for 150 years, the US has a market-based economy, we enjoy all our democratic freedoms AND we have strong government programs. But, as long as the Republicans and Fox News continue to perpetuate the myth that sensible, Keynesian economic policies like you advocate are part of a slippery slope to "Socialism" (meaning fascism with no democratic freedom as opposed to the real meaning, which is a government that protects the poor from being exploited by the rich) then we will never get the change that most average Americans including you and me actually want. 

Your fear of immigrants and demand for "English-only" is an important part of the problem. Who wants to pay their fair-share of taxes if you are also afraid that your money is going to help people like "welfare queens" even though they represent an incredibly small percentage of users of our safety nets?"

If "Oldfoxbob" is indicative of many Americans, it confirms Michael Moore's hypothesis that the vast majority of American's want the policies of Democrats, but are afraid to vote for them....in the case of "Oldfoxbob", apparently because they are also afraid of a diverse America.