Jay Riemersma For Congress

Guest Commentary in May 7, 2011 Detroit Free Press

While discussing congressional action to raise the debt ceiling, a top government official in Washington was quoted saying: “It’s absolutely essential they’ll do it. And, of course, they’ll do it. They’ve always done it in the past.” The official went on to say, “We’re looking forward to an important debate with Republicans and with Democrats on how to make sure we bring down our long-term deficits.”

To make sense of this statement, we first have to set aside the ridiculous premise that “they’ve always done it in the past” should guide what Congress does today.

Second, Congress has not always voted to raise the debt ceiling. When they elected not do so in 1995, the sky didn’t fall and our economy did not implode. What’s really being said here is, “We need to borrow more today so we can begin to have a conversation about saving tomorrow.”

Now, we’d laugh if these were Jay Leno’s opening lines. But they’re not. They belong to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, and they foreshadow a critically important discussion about our national debt and the right of one generation to lay claim to the wealth of another.

Our government was slated to reach its legal debt limit of $14.3 trillion in the middle of May, but now can hold out until early August. When the debt ceiling is reached, Congress must either vote to raise it, allowing the Treasury to borrow more money from credit markets, or begin the process of immediate, significant cuts to the federal government’s budget.

To hear Secretary Geithner tell it, any discussion of not raising the debt ceiling is “irresponsible.” One might reasonably ask if it’s more responsible to assume that our children and grandchildren will pay off more than $14 trillion of our debt?

Should Congress choose not to raise the debt ceiling, there would continue to be more than enough revenue coming into federal coffers to pay interest on our national debt as it comes due.

Additionally, the Fed can take measures to raise money to meet federal obligations without exceeding the debt limit, as they did in 1995. But with Standard and Poor’s recent downgrading of our outlook to “negative,” it’s apparent to any honest observer that many are already beginning to question the seriousness of the U.S. government to deal with its deficits and debt. Our creditors are already nervous. Treating a vote to raise the debt ceiling as a forgone conclusion only reinforces their unease.

We can certainly be glad that conservatives like U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Jim DeMint, R-S.C., are taking a stand against raising the debt ceiling, but even a qualified opposition to raising our credit limit misses the point. What is lacking is the moral courage to call intergenerational theft what it is: wrong, immoral and intolerable.

If the GOP agrees with conservatives that it’s wrong to hand our posterity a lower standard of living and less opportunity, then it’s time to take a stand on the debt ceiling. This is what adults do. We make difficult choices in the present to ensure our children and grandchildren have a better tomorrow, and we don’t use their future as a political bargaining chip.

The impending debt ceiling vote is an opportunity for Republicans to raise a flag of bold colors: We honor the sacrifices of those before us by ensuring a better future for our children. We categorically reject intergenerational theft as a violation of the sacred bond between generations. And we refuse to be the first generation of Americans to hand to our children a land of diminished opportunity and freedom.

While President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats continue to hit the snooze button on our nation’s fiscal alarm, Republicans have a chance to show America that they’re already up and at work. Or not.

JAY RIEMERSMA of Holland, Mich., is a former congressional candidate, nine-year NFL veteran and a University of Michigan graduate.

Friends, I wanted to provide you with a brief update on two legal matters related to the past election cycle.

As many of you know, in the run-up to the August Republican primary, my campaign was sued by one of my primary opponents for what he claimed was “defamation of character” and “infliction of emotional distress.” I believe that this lawsuit was a political calculation and represents a new low for West Michigan politics, and I said so publicly at the time. As it turns out, the judge overseeing the case agreed.

On December 22, 2010, Judge Ed Post dismissed the lawsuit “with prejudice” writing that, “The timing of the filing of the complaint, just weeks before the primary election, suggests an attempt to gain political advantage over an opponent and a misuse of the judicial system.” This is a legal way saying the lawsuit is frivolous and without merit. In the end, the lawsuit served only to waste our limited tax dollars in the court system and to debase the electoral process. The threat of costly, frivolous lawsuits will undoubtedly deter some very good people from running for office and that is a real loss for our community. We must demand better from those seeking to represent us.

You may also remember that just days before the primary election another candidate’s campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission, alleging that I and my campaign treasurer had violated the Federal Election Campaign Act. I believe the allegation was meritless and timed for maximum political impact, and I said so publicly at the time.

Now after several months of investigation and considerable expense to tax payers, on February 16, 2011, “the Commission found…that there is no reason to believe the Jay Riemersma for Congress [campaign] violated [the Federal Election Campaign Act]. Accordingly the Commission closed its file in this matter.”

With both matters now settled and behind us, it feels as though a weight has been lifted off of our family. It was always our desire to run a campaign in such a way that we could look back without regrets over our conduct. I can say with confidence that that is indeed the case. We harbor no ill will over the outcome of the election or that factors that played into it, and we remain undaunted in our desire to stand for what we believe is right and serve our community. Whatever God has in store for us, we’re ready to move forward.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers, and may God bless you and your families.

For liberty,

Jay

Friends,

Words cannot express my family’s gratitude for your support over the last year. We have been blessed by your friendships, your kindness, and your prayers on our behalf. We entered this congressional race as a political outsider, knowing that it would be an uphill battle. Incredibly, in a race in which over 100,000 ballots were cast, the results were determined by just over 600 votes. This should be a reminder to us all that our vote, and our voice matter in this process. We will not be asking for a recount though with the significant voter irregularities in Ottawa County, we are waiting to see final numbers from Ottawa County when the ballots are certified. This process will take no more than 48 hours.

While the results are not what we had hoped for, I do believe that with your help we made this a better race. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and I’m proud of the way in which we conducted ourselves throughout the process. We ran a strong race and helped bring a focus to issues of importance to voters in West Michigan. Most importantly, we sought to glorify God in all that we did, and we trust that His will has been done in this election.

I called Bill Huizenga this morning to congratulate him and his wife Natalie, and to let them know we will be fully supporting them as our Republican candidate for Congress in November. I would ask that you pray for them and please offer them your support as well; they’ll need all of our votes and help in the general election.

As for the Riemermsa family, we’ll be taking a much needed vacation! But please know that we are committed to West Michigan. We’re not going anywhere, and we’ll continue to seek out ways to serve the community and stand up for our values. We do not know what the future holds, but we know that God’s plans are for our good and we’ll move forward with that confidence.

On behalf of our whole family, thank you and may God bless you all.

For liberty,

Jay

Jay Riemersma received the news today that the Citizens for Parental Rights PAC has endorsed his campaign for Congress.  CPR had this to say about the endorsement:

Citizens for Patrental Rights PAC Endorsements
After Questionnaires and research the CPR-PAC Board has made the following endorsements. Please Vote for these Pro-Family Candidates on August 3.
US Congress 2nd District: Jay Reimersma
MI Governor: Peter Hoekstra
MI Senate 24th Dist: Rick Jones
MI State Representative, by District
     72nd Eric Larson
     73rd Dennis Smith
     74th Dave Agema
     77th Rusty Richter
     86th John Schwartz
Judges: No Primary Races in Kent or Allegan Counties
 
Jay Reimersma has pledged to take up the effort, started by Peter Hoekstra, of pushing the U. S. Parental Rights Amendment forward in Congress. Dave Agema has led the effort on HCR 45 in the MI House, which urges the Congress to pass the Parental Rights Amendment.

I have deep admiration for Jay Riemersma and the things he has accomplished in his life. His career in the NFL enabled him to embrace teammates from all walks of life and every possible background. These are the people who early on identified him as a leader and a man of conviction and integrity. Those same qualities will serve him well in the United States Congress. We need strong principled leadership now more than ever. It is with great enthusiasm that I endorse Jay Riemersma for Congress. He stands for the values I hold dear and I have no doubt that he will be identified as a national leader who will have the best interests of our country and our families as his top priority.
Karen Buie