An Open Letter to All Citizens

22. Jul, 2010 Categories: Mission by Jake Towne 3 Comments

The below text is from a one page campaign mailings sent out through parts of the district starting back in May. Feel perfectly free to leave any constructive feedback, comments, improvements, etc. in the comments section below.

I would much appreciate if readers could proliferate this article to their email lists, Facebook pages, twitter, etc.

(Photo taken with a supporter at Easton’s Heritage Day. And yes, it’s in front of a pawnshop that buys gold.)

The letter can be downloaded in PDF here, or from Scribd here. Be sure to attend the campaign’s Freedom Concert on July 30th!!! Details here!

Dear Fellow Citizen:

My name is Jake Towne and I am running for Congress as an independent private citizen in Pennsylvania’s 15^th District. In order to maintain my independence and accountability to my constituents, I do not and will not accept donations from special-interest groups including corporate PACs and lobbyists.

I will help YOU bring change to the federal government, but I cannot defeat the two-headed, one-party system alone. Please join me in this campaign to regain our liberties and restore the Constitution.

As your Congressman, I will work tirelessly on these and other critical issues:

ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY As an Independent member of Congress, I will represent your interests and will not pander to political parties or special interests. I will implement a simple yet novel concept which I call “Our Open Office.” You will have a real public voice – to phone in, comment on, debate, and criticize each House floor bill within a forum on the www.house.gov website. You will be able to demand that I address your ideas and concerns by submitting bills online, and you can summon me to on-demand town halls for issues that you feel I am not addressing quickly enough or satisfactorily. Reports will include how I voted on each House floor vote and each bill introduced or co-sponsored. Most importantly, I will tell you why I voted the way I did.

FISCAL DISCIPLINE With both Republicans and Democrats alternating turns in power, the federal deficit has grown from only a few million dollars to more than $13 trillion dollars in less than one generation. Unfunded future obligations now exceed the astronomical value of $107 trillion dollars! It is absolutely crucial that we restore fiscal discipline to our federal government. As a new member of Congress, I propose to lead the way by refusing to enroll in the congressional life-time pension and health care plans and accepting a salary of no more than the median household income of my 15^th District.

FOREIGN POLICY America’s modern wars are undeclared and therefore unconstitutional engagements. We spend more than a trillion dollars a year funding the military with bases in more than 100 countries around the world – more money than the rest of the world combined. Our current foreign policy is economically unsustainable and only serves to weaken, not strengthen, our national defense. The Congress must assert its constitutional authority and reduce military spending, starting with an immediate and orderly withdrawal of our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. I favor the use of constitutional Letters of Marque and Reprisal to address the threat of rogue enemies and bring marked terrorists to justice by the use of small groups.

SOUND MONEY A strong dollar is the foundation of our entire economy. The Federal Reserve’s current practice of “printing money” and credit is reckless and inflationary. Of course, it is also unconstitutional. Inflation is a hidden tax that punishes responsible savers and erodes the purchasing power of our money. It is especially harmful to the poor and those living on fixed incomes. The first step toward restoring sound money is to audit the Federal Reserve for the first time since its creation in 1913.

STATE SOVEREIGNTY The strength of our great nation lies in the balance of power between our federal and state government as instituted by our founding fathers. We must restore that balance by limiting the power of the federal government to those specific powers listed in the Constitution.

With the support of individuals like you, this campaign to restore our freedoms will succeed. That is why I am asking you for help: donate, volunteer, or simply pass along the message to your friends and family. To get involved, visit my campaign website www.towneforcongress.com or just call me at 610-392-8156. Thank you!