Categorical Aperitif

The good Jonathan Schwarz has contact information for those who want to write or call their Congressional overlords about stopping the $700 billion Paulson-ChimpCo bailout swindle in its tracks. Here's my contribution; feel free to borrow/adapt if you think it's worthwhile:

Dear [insert appropriate legislator name here],

I am writing to add my voice in disapproval of Treasury Secretary Paulson's proposed $700 billion Wall Street bailout plan and to ask that you not support this measure. At a time when the government supposedly struggles to find adequate money for health care, veterans' benefits, education, infrastructure improvements, etc., it is simply unconscionable to advocate such a massive redistribution of wealth with so little accountability and so few strings attached.

Cooler heads, and more honest brokers, can devise a better plan to deal with the current crisis. The Bush Administration's desire to rush the Paulson plan through is suspicious, to say the least, given the administration's track record when it comes to other matters of grave public importance (war, civil liberties, human rights, separation of powers, and emergency management, to name a few).

Please stand up for the American people and reject the administration's shameless bailout plan. Better solutions can be found; the legislative branch must not allow itself to be stampeded again into a reckless course of action that weakens America and makes a mockery of age-old standards of justice and responsibility. Please do not support the Paulson plan.

Respectfully,

[your name here]

Maybe I should have left out the "stampeded again" reference, I don't know, but after the last eight years, I find it hard to be delicate.