05-04-2025
Opinion: Hi. I'm that angry guy from the town hall
My name is Michael Bretz, and I'm the middle-aged, overweight, bald guy in the pictures from the recent Kennedy/Maloy Town Hall. When I enlisted as a Marine, I took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, and I will forever live by it. I expect everyone else who has taken the oath to live by it, too.
Elon Musk and Donald Trump's actions are constitutionally questionable, and our members of Congress are part of a Constitutionally defined co-equal branch of government that's intended to be a check on the executive branch. I came to the town hall to ask a simple question: When will THEY stand up for the Constitution?
The reconciliation bill that was recently passed calls for $880 billion in cuts to the Energy and Commerce budget. The two biggest programs under that umbrella are Medicare and Medicaid. In fact, all other programs under that umbrella, cost combined, do not total $880 billion. Logically, Medicare and/or Medicaid would take a funding hit to meet the $880 billion goal. When Congress members Kennedy and Maloy both insisted this wasn't the case, it felt like an insult to our intelligence. When pressed on how they intended to not interfere with Medicare and Medicaid, Congressman Kennedy claimed that Medicaid was paying for piano lessons and swim lessons. (Disabled and impoverished Americans have nowhere else to turn for their health care other than these programs and some underfunded charities.)
As a Republican, I believe the government exists to protect people's rights and opportunities. It should not exert excessive control while picking winning and losing teams.
Look, it's not rocket science — the U.S. government has a spending problem. Cuts need to happen. We will pay for the sins of the past sooner or later, and hopefully learn our lesson. However, there's nothing 'efficient' about firing people who are doing necessary jobs. There's nothing 'efficient' about allowing poor people overseas to die of preventable diseases. There is certainly nothing 'efficient' about pulling the plug on public education at every level, when that is the very engine that has made us so powerful in the last century. The VA firings are indefensible for anyone claiming to be pro-veteran. If you want efficiency, take some time to look around for where the waste is.
The reconciliation bill increases the debt by 4.5 trillion dollars over the next decade by renewing the 2017 tax cuts for the top 0.1% of earners. This all gives the distinct impression that those least in need of support are more important than those most in need of support. If the bill didn't have the tax cuts with only cuts to entitlement programs, I might be able to stomach some of the sacrifice the American people are making to pay off the debt. That's not what's happening. With the reconciliation bill we're taking on MORE debt AND targeting entitlements. It's a double slap in the face to constituents — benefits for the haves by taking from the have-nots.
America has a significant issue that needs to be addressed. Continuing resolutions and weak solutions aren't going to cut it. Doing it solely on the backs of the vulnerable won't either. And doing it without discussion or oversight is ludicrous.
In case it wasn't obvious, I'm a passionate man. I care deeply for my country. The ideals of this country that I grew up learning and living by are in my soul. I would be willing to have a fact-based, good-faith discussion with our congressional representatives. However, I'm not willing to engage in a discussion where I'm handed butcher's scraps and told it's a filet mignon. I won't stand for people in power failing those who need them. This isn't about the red team against the blue team. This isn't about hating Donald Trump. This is about doing what's right for the people and the Constitution, and fighting to ensure that my elected officials do the same.
