Costco Protest

July 9, 2014

Mr. W. Craig Jelinek

President and Chief Executive Officer

Costco Wholesale Corporation

999 Lake Drive

Issaquah, WA  98027

Dear Mr. Jelinek:

I was saddened to learn your company, under your leadership, has entered into the arena of political ideology.  It’s one thing for a company to be involved in political discourse and lobbying efforts that would benefit your stakeholders, but to attempt to suppress the voice of those who hold opposing views is in the truest sense, un-democratic, un-American and in violation of the tenets of capitalism.

I won’t be so impetuous as to resign my membership because there may be occasions where I may have no alternative to fulfill my needs.  However, I resolve to use your competitors as often as I can.

Sincerely,

Bill Monroe

The Forest For The Trees

July 11, 2014

Ms. Kirsten Powers

c/o Fox News Corporation

1211 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY  10036

Dear Ms. Powers:

I am a conservative; however, I have come to admire and respect your thoughtful articulation and defense of liberal values and policies.  I would welcome you as a neighbor.

There have been a few occasions when I felt you were unable to see beyond the current circumstances and that your deep compassion for the disadvantaged blurred your view of the larger picture – you know, the forest for the trees.  The crisis on our southern border is one of those occasions.

I share your concern and compassion – first for the children and then for those fleeing terror and corruption.  My heart breaks as well when I see the images of those children who know nothing of the childhoods you and I experienced.  Every child deserves to be loved, nurtured, protected, and taught to become a responsible member of the community.

However, we are faced with the age-old story of the over-laden ship sinking at sea – a few souls must be thrown overboard to save the ship and the others.  It’s the story of the greater good, told often in many other ways.  Like the flight attendant’s pre-flight briefing, "In case of emergency, put on your oxygen mask first, then assist others as needed.”

I’m not an economist but I do have a graduate degree – I know something about economics and finance.  I’m convinced our nearly $18 trillion national debt has put our economic stability and security in serious jeopardy.  Something as innocuous as another downgrade of our nation’s credit rating could set off ripples around the world.  Our nation would be paying much higher interest rates on the money we have already borrowed, and the nation, whose currency was once the financial foundation for many other nations, would see her creditworthiness openly questioned.  This would cause these and other nations to dispose of their U.S. dollars in favor of a stronger currency, and coupled with the Fed’s policy of quantitative easing, the financial markets would be flooded with dollars.  And you know what happens when supply exceeds demand.

The government would soon run out of money unless we significantly increased our tax rates, which would produce all kinds of other negative consequences and further exacerbate the problem at hand.  Unemployment would skyrocket, retirement plans would be significantly devalued if not depleted, Social Security would be bankrupt, and all the social programs enacted to help needy Americans would run out of money.  Strife and chaos would ensue and now you have 75 million children who have no more than the children illegally crossing our borders today.  Will you be as morally outraged at the conservative voices then as you are now?

Please tell me you know more about economics and finance than I do.  Please tell me that this nation can continue to borrow indefinitely against the prosperity of future generations without any adverse consequences.  Please tell me I am worrying needlessly about the quality of life for the posterity of this once vibrant nation.

I’m reminded of the Reagan administration’s strategy of bankrupting the Soviet Union.  The good news is, it worked!  The bad news is, at the very moment the new Russia needed economic assistance to transition from communism to capitalism, we were financially incapable of lending a helping hand.  The rest is history you know all too well.

What am I trying to say?  The best way to follow your heart, to be the conscience of the world, is to be financially prudent and responsible.  We are no good to anybody if we are not reliable and dependable, stable and secure, predictable and trustworthy.  I want us to be the kind of people you imagine us to be, but not at the risk of financial collapse.

Sincerely,

Bill Monroe

Ticket To Heaven

July 7, 2014

Mr. Michael R. Bloomberg

City Hall

New York, NY  10007

Dear Mr. Bloomberg:

I read with heartbreak and sadness your comments about your prepaid ticket to heaven.  I will pray for you, as you grapple with your mortality, that our God in heaven, the Creator of the universe, will reveal Himself to you before the end of your days.

The fact you are struggling with the existence of God should set off all kinds of alarm bells in your head.  The loudest one should be, ‘what if I’m wrong?’  Not wrong about God’s existence, wrong about the price of admission into heaven.  What if the things important to you are less important to God than, say, the condition of your heart?  I mean, we really have to face the facts -- any entity powerful enough to create life as we know it, makes us by comparison, genuinely feeble and impotent.  The fact He gave us a brain to think and reason does not give us license to challenge or questions His power and omniscience.

I’m truly glad for you that you have been successful and prosperous in your life.  When you consider that 98% of all the humans whoever existed on this planet lived in abject poverty, you have been abundantly and wonderfully blessed.  But what about those who do not have the resources and time for good works -- the ones who struggle each day simply to exist for another day?  Under your concept of admission to heaven, they’ll be left out – they can’t afford the ticket, at any price.  Under your concept, heaven looks like an elite and exclusive country club for wealthy do-gooders and philanthropists, and where overcrowding isn’t a problem.

Mr. Bloomberg, you really haven’t given much thought to eternity and to your eternal life, which is very uncharacteristic of a man of your talents and achievements.  I pray you will spend the remainder of your days seeking a personal relationship with your Father in heaven.

All the best,

Bill Monroe

To The IRS Commissioner

June 30, 2014

Mr. John Koskinen

Commissioner

Internal Revenue Service

1111 Constitution Avenue NW

Washington, DC  20224

Dear Mr. Commissioner:

Your arrogance and contempt for members of Congress is, without question, the irrefutable evidence of your ignorance, incompetence, failure as an executive, and your deplorable leadership skills.   You have abused the authority entrusted to you, and clearly, you have lost all respect for the people of this great nation.  You have either forgotten, ignored or despise your role and duty as a public servant and, what is even worse, is the shameful example you have set for the other servants within your own organization and wherever others serve the public good.

The impunity you have displayed towards those charged with the oversight of the functions of the IRS makes you unworthy to be called an American.  The only explanations for your behavior are the impudence of an entrenched bureaucrat, the intoxication of self-importance, and complete disregard for equal justice under the law.

I’ve always had a healthy respect for the IRS, but you have opened my eyes to its potential for sinister and nefarious behavior.

Sincerely,

Bill Monroe

cc:  Senator John Cornyn, Senator Ted Cruz, Mr. Kenny Marchant, Mr. Darrell Issa, Mr. Paul Ryan, Mr. Trey Gowdy