The people's House???

Does Congress really listen at all?

It’s well beyond disappointing when one tries to communicate with one’s elected officials and is completely ignored. I sent this letter to my Congressperson, Ann Wagner and the two Senators from Missouri, Mr. Hawley and Mr. Schmitt.

December 28, 2022

The Honorable Ann Wagner

2350 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D. C. 20515-2502

Dear Representative Wagner,

Now that the excitement of the holiday season is over and elections are comfortably far enough off to be set on the back burner for a while, here are some suggestions for legislative focus in 2023.

1.              Establish legal residency for all DACA participants and similarly situated current residents who arrived before Dec. 1, 2021. As part of this program, require all employers of any size to participate in the e-Verify program and provide enhanced processing infrastructure (judges, shelter, and hearing locations) for everyone requesting asylum.

2.              Stabilize the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds by eliminating the income cap on OASDI tax and basing the income on Adjusted Gross Income while maintaining the current benefit structure. Provide for annual adjustment in the minimum age for full benefit retirement based on existing working age statistics and ensure that all disability applicants have a valid basis for their condition.

3.              Provide basic medical, dental, hearing and eye insurance coverage for all American citizens and legal residents and ensure the availability of qualified professional care. Enable anyone currently insured to continue their coverage as provided in the ACA and current Medicare plans during a transition to full medical care coverage through a single source. Consider establishing a mutual insurance fund where all policy holders are owners and share both profits and losses.

4.              Permanently reinstate the Child Tax Credit and begin the process of consolidating existing support programs under one agency and with one distribution process.

5.              Fund the IRS fully and mandate the audit of anyone reporting income over $1 million annually at least once every 4 years. Require that anyone found in violation be audited annually until their record is clear for 10 years and then every 4 years.

6.              Require all government agencies to specify a minimum 50% post-consumer recycled content in all metal, plastic, and paper items purchased with preference for higher recycled content.

7.              Require anyone taking water from public sources to restore it to the standards set by the local provider prior to discharging it into public sewer or supply systems. Require existing violators to comply with system requirements and mitigate existing damages before any business license is granted or renewed.

8.              Require all licensed businesses and anyone receiving federal funds to participate in recycling programs for all ferrous and non-ferrous metals, all plastic and all paper products.

9.              Require all producers of oil, gas and any other fossil energy products to eliminate any discharge of ‘green house gasses’ or other atmospheric pollutants and to mitigate any damage caused by such discharge as a condition of retaining any license required or receiving any government contracts.

10.           Require all agricultural enterprises receiving government funds at any level to participate in sustainable, regenerative growing and production practices and to eliminate any discharge of fertilizer residue or any other effluent into public or private water systems.

11.           Repeal all laws restricting the growth, possession, use or sale of cannabis in any form and expunge the records of anyone incarcerated under those laws. Disband the DEA, end the ‘War on Drugs’ and use the funds previously allocated to the DEA for treatment and support of anyone suffering from substance addiction and/or abuse.

12.           Require that anyone purchasing firearms of any sort successfully attend a safety training program and be licensed to purchase ammunition for any weapons they own. Restrict the civilian market to magazines with a capacity of 15 rounds or fewer and ammunition that does not have armor piercing capability and is not designed to damage internal tissue. Remove all ammunition containing lead from the market and institute a buyback and destroy program for all existing stocks of such ammunition.

A lot of media attention has been given to the various investigations that the House is intent on taking up once it is organized after the Jan. 3 swearing in of new members. While many of these are, no doubt, important, actually legislating for the better governance of the country and the benefit of our fellow citizens is what most of us would like to see Congress focused on. Your leadership in moving this legislation through the House and into law will set a far better standard of behavior than more ‘made for TV’ performances.

God be with you in your deliberations, I look forward to hearing your positions on each of these issues and something other than “should legislation on this issue come before me I’ll keep your opinions in mind” as a response.

A very happy new year to you and your family.

On January 18, Ms. Wagner responded with a letter that didn’t address a single one of the questions I’d specifically asked for her views on. If Congress ever wonders why they rate so low in people’s opinions, they need look no further than this. For the record, Ms. Wagner voted to certify the results of the Presidential election.

ANN WAGNER

2ND DISTRICT, MISSOURI

2350 RAYBURN House OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON, DC 20515

(2021 225--1621

301 SOVEREIGN COURT

SUITE 201

BALLWIN, MO 63011

(6361 779-5449

wagner.house.gov

<ttongre5'5' of tbe Wntteb tate5'

J!)om,e of l\epregentatibeg

Wlla bington. ]D     20515-2502

January 18, 2023

VICE RANKING MEMBER

COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES

RANKING MEMBER

SUBCOMMITTEE ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTOR PROTECTION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP,

ANO CAPITAL MARKETS

VICE RANKING MEMBER

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE, EURASIA,

ENERGY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Mr. David Warren Conant 7716 General Shennan Lane Saint Louis, MO 63123-1233

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ASIA, THE PACIFIC,

AND NONPROLIFERATION

Dear Mr. Conant,

Thank you for contacting me regarding my legislative priorities. Knowing your thoughts and concerns helps me better represent the people of Missouri's 2nd District in Congress.

I am focused on addressing the kitchen table issues affecting my constituents, including record high prices for gas, utilities, and everyday items, a crime and drug wave plaguing cities across the country, and turmoil in our nation's education system. I am committed to working with my colleagues to foster an economy that's strong, a nation that's safe, a future that's built on freedom, and a government that's accountable to the people.

There is no doubt that the current state of the American economy is in turmoil. Inflation is driving up prices at the fastest rate in forty years, gas prices are at the highest level in ten years, mortgage rates are at the highest point in twenty years, and the labor force participation rate is at the lowest level in over forty years. Countless economists now predict there is a very high risk of the United States falling into a recession and possible stagflation, where inflation continues to rise while the economy slows. To address these concerns, I support the House Republican agenda to maximize the production of reliable, American-made energy and cutting the permitting process time in half to reduce reliance on foreign countries, prevent rolling blackouts, and lower the cost of gas and utilities. Our agenda will also focus on moving supply chains away from China, expanding U.S. manufacturing, and enhancing America's competitiveness and cyber resiliency.

As a result of "defund the police" efforts and chaos at our southern border, Americans are also facing a major increase in crime and deadly narcotics, such as fentanyl, pouring into our cities. In 2021, the U.S. had the highest murder rate in over 20 years, the most intentional killings of law enforcement officers in 20 years, and now, every week, approximately 300 Americans are dying from fentanyl poisoning. To bolster the safety of our neighborhoods, I will work with my colleagues to support the hiring of more law enforcement officers through recruiting and retention bonuses and will oppose all efforts to defund police departments. We also must ensure prosecutors properly charge individuals accused of these heinous crimes and regain control of our southern border, where drug cartels are smuggling fentanyl into our nation at a record pace. I support fully funding border enforcement strategies, infrastructure, and advanced technologies to prevent illegal crossings and trafficking by the cartels.

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

As a result of school closures during the pandemic, over two decades of progress in math and reading scores have been erased and less than 3 out of every 10 Americans have confidence in public education. Our community is home to outstanding schools due to the continuous engagement of local parents and their commitment to ensuring our students receive the education they need to prepare them for the future. Over the past few years, we have seen a troubling rise in efforts to exclude parents from decisions over school curriculums. I believe parents and the locally-elected school boards should decide the topics taught to our children. I will continue to fight for parents to be included in these critical decisions in our community.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to achieve substantive results for our community, our state, and our country. As your Member of Congress, I will continue to focus on the issues that affect my constituents every day and work towards a better future for all Americans.

Sincerely,

AnnWa(J_

Member of Congress

Please forgive the weirdness in the copy, I’m trying to learn Adobe Pro and copying from Congressional communications has always been difficult. Anyone who has suggestions, please feel free.