The ides of April 2002       An Open Letter to George W. Bush From the desk of Ggrrriffin G. Ggrrrinch

Dear Mr. President:

Hello.  My name is Ggrrriffin G. Ggrrrinch.  i live in California.  i am writing to ask for your support for a significant reform of our federal government.

i see a great many conflicts around the world, and i am participating in them -- because, as a taxpaying American, i am funding all the activities of our federal government.  i do wish to help, but not as a taxpayer who is forced to pay.

i have my own personal principles of love, of helping others, of listening and feeling before acting, of self-government, of allowing and respecting self-government for others, of liberty and personal responsibility, of abhorring violence and deceit.  And i wish to exercise these principles when i participate in those many conflicts around our globe.

So the essence of the reform i am advocating is: to make the participation of the American people in our federal government voluntary.

Here is the text of the Decentralization Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:

Congress shall make no law.
All federal activities shall be private.
These United States are and of right ought to be free and independent states.

i am writing on the ides of April, inspired by the complexity (and of course the obligatory nature) of our federal taxes.  If our federal government were privatized, i believe that our Internal Revenue Service would simplify the tax forms to make it easier for patriotic Americans to give money to support those parts of our federal government which inspire us to give.

Could you please help pass this amendment, either through Congress or through the legislatures of the several states (38 states would be sufficient, i believe)?

i look forward to having a clear conscience with respect to my participation in the various conflicts around the world.

Thank you for your help and for your consideration.