my letter to Congressman Akin

Dear Congressman Akin,

I am relatively new to Missouri (2 years) and I live in St Charles County. I consider myself to be a right of center moderate and I generally vote Republican.

I'm not writing you to try to convince you of my political positions. What I am asking as a constituent, a Missourian, an American and as a Christian is for you to be one of the leaders in Washington to calm the rhetoric.

I know you are not responsible for people who comment on your facebook page, but there are people who respect you and thank you for your service that comment about how America is becoming a dictatorship. Your use of the phrase "government takeover" isn't helpful. It is like saying 1906 was the government takeover of the meat industry.

But you can speak out. You have the platform to stand up and let people know that because someone disagrees with you politically that does not make them less American or mean we are heading toward a dictatorship.

Your biography says that you are a leader in your church. You know that one of Jesus' ministries was that of reconciliation. He told us not just to love our friends but our enemies, to repay evil with good. If we cannot stand up and calm down the rhetoric of people across the aisle then I hardly believe we are living up to what we are called to do.

I am not asking you to change your opposition to the bill. If you feel that it is something you need to fight against and need to campaign to repeal then do so. But I have to imagine that is possible without playing to the fears of people making them believe that people who support the bill are less than American.

So I ask you to stand up and be a voice of reason. To work to calm down your rhetoric and those of your colleagues. To get online and say that the people you represent that you oppose the bill, will fight to repeal it, but this IS the democratic process.

Thank you.

Sincerely,


Chad Welch