An Open Letter to the Voters in the Sixth Congressional District of Maryland

My name is Michael Reed, and I am seeking the nomination of the Constitution Party to be their candidate to run for the United States House of Representatives Sixth Congressional District of Maryland.

When the Japanese government bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave an address to a joint session of Congress and asked that it declare war, which it did. This procedure was constitutionally mandated and followed. Not long after that, my grandfather Paul Riggenbach, part of the "Greatest Generation," flew B-25 bombers in North Africa and helped to fight the tyranny that had threatened our freedom and liberty.

Unfortunately, the Constitution has not been followed very well over the last several decades, and it is directly affecting our Nation – including its growth, its confidence and its spirit. Neither of the two primary political parties have been immune from unconstitutionally expanding the federal government into areas that have been reserved for the States.

Why the Constitution Party?

The Constitution Party’s goal is "to restore America to its Biblical foundations and to limit the federal government to its Constitutional boundaries." It is one of the unfortunate by-products of this democratic republic that only two parties that seem available to the public. However, neither the Republican Party nor the Democratic Party has truly represented the people that so desperately need leadership.

The stark reality is that "history makes it clear that left unchecked, it is the nature of government to usurp the liberty of its citizens and eventually become a major violator of the people’s rights; and that, therefore, it is essential to bind government with the chains of the Constitution and carefully divide and jealously limit the powers of government to those assigned by the consent of the governed." [Constitution Party platform, www.constitutionparty.com].

There is a lack of leadership and accountability in Washington. What this Country needs are leaders who serve. These servant-leaders are noticeably lacking in both the executive and legislative branches of government.

In his Official Announcement of Candidacy for President dated November 13, 1979, Ronald Reagan stated that the "Citizens of this great nation want leadership, yes, but not a ‘man on a white horse’ demanding obedience to his commands …. A leader who will unleash their [the people’s] great strength and remove the roadblocks government has put in their way."

The Incumbent

I am running against Roscoe Bartlett, not out of any animosity, but out of respect. I respect that he has served the District for almost twenty years. I respect that he has, for the most part, represented our District with a similar ideology.

However, if I may borrow a military term, I believe it is time for the voters of our District to provide Congressman Bartlett with an "honorable discharge" of service. He has become a member of the political establishment for nearly twenty years. He has become a professional politician. He has, for example, become beholden to the wishes of his political party - which just recently forced a Congressional representative from Texas to retract an apology that he made to BP after an unconstitutional $20 billion "shakedown" in the Oval Office.

While there may be disagreement between scholars and historians regarding the desire of Adams, Jefferson and Hamilton to institute term limits, I do strongly believe that the Founding Fathers never intended legislators to serve in Congress for life. The Founders were teachers, farmers, lawyers, blacksmiths and tradesmen. They served their Country when called by their constituents to serve, and then they went home.

When I am elected Congressman, I promise that I will serve no more than three two-year terms, (should the voters wish to have me serve that long), and then I will go home. I have no intention to spend my life in the Capitol – certainly not nine straight terms. But, based on the lack of leadership and accountability in Congress and the White House, I feel that I must run immediately, for my family and friends and the people of Frederick, Cumberland, Hagerstown, Westminster and throughout the Sixth District.

Reagan’s reasoning which led him to seek the presidency in 1979 is no less applicable then as it is today:

I cannot and will not stand by and see this great country destroy itself. Our leaders attempt to blame their failures on circumstances beyond their control, on false estimates by unknown, unidentifiable experts who rewrite modern history in an attempt to convince us our high standard of living, the result of thrift and hard work, is somehow selfish extravagance which we must renounce as we join in sharing scarcity."

It is never a crime to work hard and want a better life for you and your family, and you should not feel guilty for doing so. I will work to oppose any attempt to take away that which you have earned. I will oppose any forced health care plan. I will oppose any attempt to consolidate power within the already-bloated federal government – the 10th Amendment of the Constitution clearly states that powers not enumerated in the Constitution shall be reserved to the States.

And, most importantly, I will propose that any laws passed by Congress will be equally applicable to those legislators who passed these laws. No man is above the law. No politician is above the law. We are all one Nation, under God. Our Country has been blessed beyond measure and we are at an important crossroads – will we continue the legacy passed on by the Greatest Generation, and that envisioned by our Founding Fathers – or do we continue in a constant state of malaise, at risk of losing this blessing?

John F. Kennedy, in his January 2, 1960 presidential candidacy announcement, stated, "From all of this, I have developed an image of America as fulfilling a noble and historic role as the defender of freedom in a time of maximum peril -- and of the American people as confident, courageous and persevering." I see a confident America with its people no longer willing to sit idly by and rail at a government that at its best - is focused on two political factions bickering to preserve their power base and maintaining the status quo, and at its worst – depriving its Citizens of liberty and free enterprise by numerous bailouts and takeovers of private companies.

I humbly ask for your prayers and your support. Thank you for your time and consideration. You will hear from me again soon.

Michael S. Reed, Esq.
Constitution Party Candidate for Nomination
United States House of Representatives
Sixth Congressional District of Maryland
P.O. Box 1873
Frederick, MD 21702-0873
Phone: (240) 498-6833
Email: reedformaryland@gmail.com
Web: http://reed4maryland.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/reedformaryland