Dear Sen. Cornyn:

I received your letter regarding the Oklahoma Annual Republican Campaign Drive, and I must say it has piqued my interest. I am deeply committed to the causes of liberty and small, severely-limited government. I have been registered as a Republican for many years in furtherance of this objective.

As a deeply concerned citizen, I have watched with horror as my government—claiming a mandate in my name—has frittered away tax dollars by the billions, hundreds of billions, even trillions. My son turned two just a month ago, and it terrifies me to think that he is already in debt to the tune of some fifty thousand dollars—roughly the median annual income in this country. That’s right: before he has even gained a solid grasp of language, he is indebted to Washington as a tax slave for a full year of his life.

Even more disturbing, though, is that the unprecedented expenditures of which I speak were enacted by and presided over by Republicans.

You write to me to ask for my support. You tell me that “nothing is more important than electing more Republicans.” I can come up with something much more important: staunching the bleeding from the gaping wound in our national wealth that is Congress.

You want me to pay? I want you to pay attention. A recent poll shows the Republican Party’s public support in third place, trailing behind a hypothetical third party formed along the goals of the last year’s “Tea Party” protests. That’s right: the Republican Party can’t beat a figment of a pollster’s imagination right now, as the voters are sick and tired of your profligate spending.

As I said, I have been registered as a Republican for many years. It disturbs me greatly to see the tremendous—and growing—gulf between my beliefs and the Party’s actions. As I have heard countless times from innumerable friends and acquaintances, “I didn’t leave the Party, the Party left me.”

You ask for my support, but it is you who have forsaken me. I simply cannot bring myself to accept the promise of a known and admitted politician that “oh, we’ll do better this time.” Promises of “change” have been bandied about lately, but we’ve seen nothing of the sort. In many ways, we have seen the continuance and extension of what may accurately be termed the “Bush-Obama Doctrine.” Massive spending, a complete lack of government transparency or accountability, expansion of government authority, circumvention of the principles and limits established by the Constitution…I frankly cannot see a dime’s worth of difference between the ultimate outcome of either party’s demonstrated positions. As such, I cannot accept your promise of smaller government on faith—I require proof. As the Great Communicator himself famously said, “trust but verify.” You have squandered my trust; I must therefore ask for verification.

Accordingly, until I see convincing proof that the Party has seen the error of its ways and reversed its course—to include a systemic purge of the sellouts who traded our national legacy for the shiny baubles and trinkets of power and prestige—I shall not donate to your cause, vote for your candidates, or brake if I see you crossing the street.

It is my fervent hope that next year’s elections will see a great number of politicians—on “both” sides of the aisle—forced to search for honest work (many for the first time), and the introduction of new blood that recognizes that government is meant to be subservient to the citizens, not master. I wish you an early failure in the primary, if applicable, or rejection in the general election, and hope that the Party is able to find a selection of honest men interested in public service, rather than self-service. Frankly, it is the Party’s only hope.

With the Utmost Firmness and Sincerity,

Dave