Knowing Huelskamp

As a constituent of Congressman Tim Huelskamp, I would like to respond to Gwyn Mellinger's opinion piece, "Big First Poorly Served by Huelskamp" in the Dec. 30 Hays Daily News.

I know Huelskamp but wonder if Mellinger does. The congressman is a fifth-generation farmer, served in the Kansas Legislature for 13 years, earned a doctorate in agricultural policy from American University in Washington and taught statistics classes at American University.

Huelskamp was unopposed in the past election, due to his excellent, faithful and vigorous representation of the Big First in Washington. This is not to say the congressman's steadfastness to uphold the Constitution and unwavering commitment to fiscal responsibility makes him the most popular guy in the political realm. Nevertheless, I don't know anyone who knows Huelskamp who does not respect him. That is why Mellinger's political hit piece left me wondering if she knows his record and what he stands for.

It was everyone's loss, in my opinion, when Speaker John Boehner purged conservatives from some of their committee appointments recently. Huelskamp is associated with the Tea Party caucus. It was the Tea Party's commitment to fiscal soundness, reduced spending, lower taxes, smaller government and the Constitution that renewed and energized the "pulse" of the Republican Party in 2008. But now, Boehner said there is no Tea Party caucus and set himself to the work of expelling conservatives from their committees.

The "fiscal cliff deal" and looming spending talks illustrate the urgent need to have more conservative representation and leadership, not less. I read a letter posted on a website written by Lori Wallach Boxer. It was during a discouraged moment she wrote, "how tragic that in this time and place in our history, there is no 'Patton,' " no one of a grand stature in the Republican Party who speaks for me and like-minded citizens, who represents us, who understands us, who puts country first, who worships the Constitution, who honors our Founding Fathers, whose principles guide him and won't be swayed. There is no one who inspires me to keep on keeping on, to fighting the fight -- not only against those who would destroy our country on purpose for the benefit of their ideology, but against those who through weakness and appeasement, are accelerating America's demise.

In this day of mostly feckless, wayward, kick-the-can-down-the-road "leadership," I am reminded of something Patton wrote on D-Day in a letter to his 20-year old son, George, Jr.: "I am sure that if every leader who goes into battle will promise himself that he will come out either a conqueror or a corpse, he is sure to win. There is no doubt of that. Defeat is not due to losses but to the destruction of the soul of the leaders." To me, the inspiring words of Boxer's letter not Mellinger's, describes Huelskamp's exemplary representation of the Big First.

Zach Meyer

Hoxie