Letter To Incoming Senator J.D. Vance

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Economic issues, education, Election 2022, Environmental Issues, guns, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary, voting rights

What follows is the letter I wrote to incoming Senator James David (J.D.) Vance, the man elected to replace outgoing Senator Rob Portman of Ohio.  Feel free to alter and use, if you feel so inclined.

Senator James David Vance

448 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510

03 January 2023

Dear Mr. Vance,

At noon today, you will take your Oath of Office whereby you will say …

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.”

I hope that you understand the tremendous responsibility you are taking on with those words.  Your responsibility is not only to the people of Ohio, but to every living being in the United States, and around the globe.  It is a solemn responsibility, not one to be taken lightly, not one to be made a mockery by playing political games.

You are new to government and have no previous experience.  For that reason, as well as some of your more questionable views and associations, I did not vote for you.  However, I believe in democracy and that the results of a free and fair election must be honoured by all, for if they are not, then our democratic foundations will crumble.  And thus, for better or for worse, you will represent the people of Ohio in the United States Senate.  I ask you to consider a few things as you take your seat.

  • Your commitment, your obligation, is to We the People, not to the Republican Party. The GOP as it is otherwise known, has largely set aside such things as values and integrity, opting instead for putting on a show to please a, shall we say less-educated, base.  I hope you will not fall into this trap, for this nation is struggling in several areas and we need serious lawmakers who come to Congress in order to address problems, to look after the best interests of the nation and its people.
  • Please do not be conned into a false set of priorities by others in your party. The things that matter most to this country are such things as the environment, gun violence, education, civil rights, wealth inequality, affordable healthcare, voting rights for all, and more.
  • Remember that your job is to legislate. Some in your party believe that their job is to seek retaliation against those in the opposing party, and to spend the bulk of their time campaigning for their next re-election bid.  This is not a playground and you are not a 6-year old child, so please try to remember that and take your job seriously.  We the People elected you and we work damn hard to pay our taxes that pay your salary.  In return, we expect you to do the work of the people, not the work of your political party, per se.

I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican, and I see both parties clearly, not through a partisan lens.  I have voted for members of both parties throughout my lifetime, but today I see a Republican Party in chaos, a party that has no platform, no ideology, no concern for the people, only for their own wealth and power.  If you follow along those lines, you will be a huge disappointment to the people who hired (elected) you and who pay your salary.  So please, try to take your job seriously.  If you do, you will succeed.  If you fail to, then you will be hearing from me and others and in six years (or less) you will be unemployed.

I wish you the best.

Sincerely,

Jill Dennison, citizen, taxpayer, voter

21 thoughts on “Letter To Incoming Senator J.D. Vance”

    • Thanks, Larry! You never know … I have gotten responses from both our senators and also from the representative for my district on occasion, so … who knows? He’ll hear from me often enough to know my name if he acts like I think he will!

      Liked by 2 people

  2. A very measured and thoughtful letter, Jill. I don’t know that I could have been that measured. I will include that as a new year’s resolution for myself. I’m skeptical about whether I can do it!! LOL

    Liked by 2 people

    • Heh heh … sometimes you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. If I have cause to write to him again, it won’t be nearly as nice! Don’t strain yourself, my friend … I’m only able to be measured about twice a year … the rest of the time I just say what I think. It’s better for the emotional and physical health to rant occasionally! Hope your holidays were great. Time now for us to get back in the saddle!!! Looks like we’ll have plenty of material to write about this year!

      Liked by 2 people

        • And that, my friend, is the truth. 9 ballots now, and we still have NO House of Representatives. Einstein’s definition of insanity is doing the same thing in the same way over and over again and expecting a different result. How many more?????

          Liked by 1 person

          • This is only the shape of things to come for the next two years once they do elect a Speaker. Chaos, performance art, revenge, backstabbing. You name it, this is the GOP. What’s so sad about it is we, the American people suffer because of this crap. UGHHHHH

            Liked by 1 person

            • As I’m sure you know by now, McCarthy made more concessions and sold more of our democracy downriver and finally, on the 15th ballot, got his wish. He isn’t the worst of the lot, but damn close to it. Yes, the next two years will be chaos, but hopefully between President Biden and the Democratic-controlled Senate, the damage will be minimal. Maybe the damage to our hearts will be more severe, though … I don’t know how much more of this crap I can take!

              Liked by 1 person

              • You and both know they are itching to shut
                down the government over the debt ceiling. I think their main goal, Jill, is to wreck the economy just in time for the 2024 election, and cause as much chaos as they possibly can. Oh, and investigate and send out tons of subpoenas. If I’m a Dem, I’d tell them to shove the subpoenas up their you know what!

                Liked by 1 person

  3. I doubt that he’ll read your letter, or that it would cause him to reflect, if he does read it. But it will be interesting to see if, in the Senate, he remains as in thrall to Trumpism as I fear. Once you sell your soul to the devil, you’ve written your last elegy.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Probably not, but you never know. On occasion, I do get responses from letters I write to members of Congress. He has hitched his wagon to Trump, so I don’t look for him to change any time soon, but I will be letting him know whenever I’m displeased with him,, and will be keeping the people of this state apprised of his actions and inactions! I plan to be a pain in his arse! Heh heh … “last elegy” … good one!

      Liked by 2 people

    • Thank you, Keith. He’s one of the few that Trump backed who won in the midterms. He had far fewer votes in the Republican primary than Tim Ryan had in the Democratic primary, but since there are more Republicans in this state today than Democrats, he managed to eke out a slim victory. I play to be a thorn in his side if he plays games with our future!

      Liked by 1 person

    • I don’t expect that he will be … he tied himself to Trump’s coattails some time ago and remains bound to them today. But, this was the warning shot over the bow, so to speak. I will be a royal thorn in his side every time he votes against the best interests of We the People, and I plan to keep the people of this state informed at every turn where he is playing games with our money and our lives.

      Liked by 1 person

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