Dear Minority Leader Boehner:

During Sunday’s Meet the Press, your Republican colleague, Senator John Ensign, said the following:

SEN. ENSIGN: But the other thing, to get back to what Congressman Frank said, is that, you know, we're going to be laying off teachers and firefighters. You know, that's just fearmongering. We're not going to be doing that in any of the states. The states have grown, in their budgets, faster than population growth, faster than inflation for the last several year--actually, probably about the last 15 years. Their budgets are bloated, the federal government's budget is bloated. What we should be doing is cutting back. Instead of just spending money, we should eliminate wasteful Washington spending and also require the states to have some fiscal discipline.

I understand you both share a strong opposition to the stimulus, but I wonder if you also share the same view as Sen. Ensign? Before answering that, let me ask if you have seen the local news, which, in a twisted sense of irony, was published the same day Sen. Ensign made these comments:

Because of budget cuts, the Butler County Sheriff's Office has made a number of changes, including restructuring and job cuts.

These moves — coupled with job reduction in the minimum security jail contracted through Resolutions Community Solutions and the elimination of $500,000 from the budget of the new radio system to come online this year — will save the county about $1.4 million, Sheriff Richard K. Jones said.

Three jobs have been eliminated and pink slips handed out to the crime prevention officer (a part-time position) and two officers assigned to the child support enforcement division. Meanwhile, the number of employees in the information technology division has been decreased from three to two, according to Jones.

(emphasis added)

Now I understand the Sen. Ensign said “teachers and firefighters”, but I think it’s a safe assumption that his thinking would couple police with firefighters under a larger blanket of public safety.

So Mr. Boehner, after reading that the very people charged with protecting your home and family is suffering from severe budget cuts, attributed to our down turning economy, can I ask if you agree with your colleague? Do you also believe that saying localities will have to make these kind of cuts is “fear mongering”.

I will be patiently awaiting your answer.

Signed – your constituent, Jamie Holly.