Dear Democrats

Dear Democrats,

Don't hold federal employees and retirees as hostages or fodder with the Republicans in the House and Senate to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits for either short-term gains or all of next year. We too are the middle class you promise to save and support, and being fodder being "federal" is cow pasture material and we are voters too!

We are part of the "All Americans" you and the President talk about and speak of supporting, but you have frozen our salaries or annuities for two years and are talking of another two to three years, all the while our costs, like our health insurance premiums which has gone up almost 100% in the same period, and the cost of living have gone up where we've lost between 10 to 20% of the power of our money in the same period.

Is that what sacrificing means? Is that why we're political fodder for negotiations for other gains? And you really want and expect our vote in 2012 and really want and expect our political donations? What don't you understand we can't afford to support you when we can't afford basic expenses? What don't you understand we can't afford to support you when you betray us?

In short, just exactly what don't you understand we are the 99%, we are the middle class, and we are serving or have served our country in our government, your government, the people's government? What don't you understand about that?