Dear Congress,

I got a little fired up this morning and sent this to South Dakota's Congressional delegation.  Will it do any good?  Probably not.  Made me feel better, though.

As most Americans, I am concerned about the current government shutdown. World War II vets were barred from visiting their own memorial. Park Rangers are preventing people from stopping on Highway 16 to take pictures of Mount Rushmore. And now CBS is reporting that disabled vets may not get their pay if this nonsense continues though late October.

This is disgraceful!

My husband proudly served his country in the United States Air Force. He is a 100% Disabled American Vet (DAV) and his income is the majority of our finances. We struggle to live within our means. And now he may not get paid?

I understand the position that members of Congress are in. The ACA is unacceptable and hurts Americans -- especially the working poor and middle class. 

But this shutdown is going to cause more problems. Not paying furloughed employees. Not paying Survivor’s Benefits to families who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Not paying disabled vets. I have trouble believing that those are principles that would make our Founding Father’s proud.

If Congress can’t come to some type of agreement, would you be willing to halt your own pay until an agreement is reached? If this was affecting your pocketbook, the pocketbook of the rest of Congress, the President and Vice-President, not only would you have earned additional respect, but it would tell me, the rest of South Dakota, and the citizens of this Country that you care. 

Truly, my husband’s annual VA payment pales in comparison to the $174,000 annual salary of a “rank and file” member of the Legislative Branch of our government (http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/governmentjobs/a/Annual-Salaries-Of-Top-Us-Government-Officials.htm). 

Please don’t misunderstand me. I am a proud Republican, but that isn’t going to put food on our table or pay our bills come November 1. Tell the people you were elected to serve that you understand their plight and are willing to sacrifice as well.

Maybe if enough members of Congress do that, some kind of agreement will be reached.

Thank you for your time.

Me