A reply from Sue Myrick

After waiting over six months and receiving no response I sent Myrick's office a letter voicing my frustration over her not responding. Guess what. They got back to me within three days! While this letter contained more empty promises and misrepresentations it was a response. It would be interesting to get the generic letters that other members of Congress send to people concerned about the debt. I'd bet that every one of them would say they supported reducing the debt. Of course none of them would follow up this claim but, that's just the way politics works.
Interestingly enough Myricks office put me on her mailing list and I am now receiving these generic letters on all kinds of issues that I never contacted them about now.

Dear Friend,
Thank you for contacting me to express your feelings on the direction
of the 109th Congress. I appreciate your taking the time to share your
thoughts on this important issue.

You are not alone in your frustration. Hardworking Americans like you
have every right to be upset about irresponsible government spending and
pork projects included in the budget, especially in times of financial
duress. I want you to know that I am just as frustrated as you are. As
a member of the House Republican Study Committee, I have been working
hard to promote fiscal restraint and to reduce wasteful government
spending.

With the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, we were able to pass the first
ever reduction in mandatory spending, slowing the growth rate of
entitlement programs from 6.4% to 6.3%. This is a small step, but any
reduction is better than uncontrolled growth. Together with other provisions
in the bill, this change will help to reduce the federal deficit by
$39.7 billion over the next five years. The Deficit Reduction Act was a
major victory for fiscal conservatism, especially in light of the ongoing
War on Terrorism and devastating hurricanes in the Gulf Coast.

I assure you that my colleagues and I are trying to reign in the
out-of-control spending, and will continue to do everything in our power to
prevent uncontrollable debt from becoming the norm. This year, the RSC,
which includes approximately 100 House conservatives, introduced an
FY2007 Budget based on the 1995 Contract With America Budget. It balanced
the budget by FY2011, eliminated over 150 federal programs, reduced
discretionary spending and reduced the deficit by $392 billion over 5
years. I wholeheartedly supported this bill.

I truly believe in fiscal discipline and reform. I believe all of my
colleagues should support a bill that balances the budget, protects tax
relief, strengthens our national defense and continues the process of
reforming runaway entitlements. However, the reality is, most of my
colleagues do not support these goals. The RSC Budget failed 94-331 on May
11, 2006. This is what we're up against, and I hope you can understand
my frustration.

Besides budget reform, the House has also undertaken significant ethics
legislation to ward off future incidences of improper behavior by
Members of Congress. Like you, I believe that your representatives in
Washington must uphold a high standard of ethical conduct, and that we must
be held accountable for the actions we take while in office. The
appearance of corruption is not to be taken lightly, and Americans deserve to
know that their Representatives are serving the best interests of their
districts, not special interests.

To that end, last month the House passed H.R. 4975, the Lobbying
Transparency and Accountability Act. This bill takes some important steps
toward eliminating the possibility of questionable relationships between
lawmakers and lobbyists. It requires more frequent, electronic filing of
lobbying disclosure reports, and it makes these records available to
the public over the internet. It also increases the penalties for
violating lobbying disclosure regulations, and gives the House Inspector
General's Office the authority to randomly audit lobbying records to ensure
compliance. You can rest assured that my colleagues and I will continue
to explore options for ensuring ethical conduct on the part of every
Member of the House of Representatives.

Finally, the outcry over the recent search of Congressman William
Jefferson's office has led many to believe that Members of Congress are
above the law. I couldn't disagree more. I strongly believe that Members
should be held accountable to the same laws as every other U.S. citizen.
To that end, I have signed on as a cosponsor of Representative Ginny
Brown-Waite's Resolution expressing this very sentiment.

Thanks again for sharing your views with me. I hope you will continue
to do so. For more information on what we are doing for you in Congress,
visit www.myrick.house.gov and sign up for my eNewsletter.

Sincerely,

Sue Myrick
Member of Congress