Iron Pol

As a member of the United States Congress, you took an Oath of Office to "support and defend the Constitution" of the United States.  On March 19, 2009 you voted in support of resolutions to levy taxes against employees of AIG who received bonuses in accordance with contracts in force prior to and during the time Congress authorized funds to prevent a financial collapse of the company.

Through your vote, you supported a bill of attainder, legislative action expressly prohibited by Article I, Section IX of the US Constitution.  This bill was generally targeted at individuals in bailed out companies and specifically targeted at AIG employees.  The punitive taxes you support effectively punish AIG employees for receiving funds fully supported by previous legislation for which you voted.  Having failed to fully comprehend the nature of the various bail-out bills enacted, Congress now seeks to cover their tracks by violating the Constitution.

In addition to this egregious violation, this bill seeks to retroactively alter contracts.  This is both chilling and legally questionable.  Congress is succinctly telling the business community that contracts can be rewritten at the whim of the controlling party.

My disagreement with prior votes can be attributed to a difference in ideologies.  This vote cannot be answered as such.  I, too, took an oath to support and defend the Constitution.  That oath did not end when I left the United States Navy, and it was never something to be taken lightly.  I would ask that you return to the Constitution and recall the responsibilities and limitations that exist.

Though quite dumbfounded,

Very Respectfully,

Iron Pol

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