An Open Letter to Jim Demint and Jon Kyl -- Christmas and America

This was a heartbreaking thing to hear: Jon Kyl and Jim Demint telling America that it is disrespectful to work on important Christian holidays, like Christmas. No, let's take a step back, Mr. Kyl and Mr. Demint want their entire week off between Christmas and New Years, so we can assume that it's disrespectful to work during that entire week.

Very few Americans get an entire week off at tax payer expense. Particularly this year, which so much to be done, these two "leaders" want to throw a public hissy fit demanding a luxury most Americans would either gladly give up for a job or love to be able to do despite their job.

Who works on Christmas when you go home? Many of us don't even think about it, we're home, snug as a bug in a rug, around the fireplace, sipping hot buttered rum and enjoying the company of loved ones. But if you were pressed to consider the country's business day in and day out, would you stop to think about it before demanding your week off?

Police, firefighters, hospital personnel, ambulance drivers are all out there, away from their family to be there when grandma starts a fire in the oven while cooking the turkey or little Suzie falls down and breaks her leg, or you come home from Christmas eve with your parents and the Grinch has stolen your Christmas. They are there to give you a safety net, to make your holiday safer, to ease your way through anything bad that might happen to you. They willingly give up time with their family to be with yours, even if only in spirit, on the holidays.

This to Senators Demint and Kyl, is unchristian. It almost leaves one speechless with the offense to so many people working to make a living. People who work 2 or 3 jobs who will wait tables for people eating Christmas dinner with their families in restaurants, people who will provide the private security to businesses and homes, people who will be there if there is a utility emergency in your home even if it means leaving their dinner on the table.

But the biggest offense goes to our troops, troops who serve and risk their lives every day, 24/7. Troops who will be *working* Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, even if they're enjoying a Christmas dinner. The option of coming home for a day, never mind a week, to do their Christian duties to the Holidays isn't even an option for hundreds of thousands of these brave men and women serving our country.

Serving our country. That's a phrase to consider here. All these people mentioned somehow serve our country. They often do it with pride, with drive and yes, while they complain and they hurt and they want to be home, they are out doing their jobs. From the person who does their job for the pride of serving their country to the person who does it because they need to the money to feed their family, they are serving our country. Respect them.

Mr. Demint and Mr. Kyl, some of us believe, after this latest incident, that you too, serve our country. We do not serve you. We are not here to provide weeklong Christmas vacations at the tax payer expense. We are not here for you to insult. We are here looking at you as representatives in our government. If there is work to be done and you don't want to be there, we understand. Believe me, many of us have been in exactly that same position. We won't begrudge you the public gripe that this is last minute and should be done already, we agree. We would also ask you to recognize your part in holding up the process until the last minute, which may be an uncomfortable moment for you, if you chose to be honest with yourself and your constituency.

What we won't tolerate is the attitude that some how our leadership is entitled to something better than us by default and if we don't provide it, to our own detriment, we are some how unworthy of your respect or some how asking you to desecrate your religion. It insults our intelligence, our contribution to America and our families.

If this is the way you gentlemen feel about America, perhaps it is time for you to step down and join the unwashed masses you think so little of. You are certainly no longer represenative of the average person in this country.