TO MY ELECTED OFFICIALS

Every six months or so, I try to write something to my two senators and one congressman. (You can go here to see what topics I've covered since I started this habit eight years ago.) With most results in from yesterday, here's what I had to say to Congressman Fattah and to Senators Casey and Specter:

"Now that the presidency and both houses of Congress belong to the Democrats, I urge you to do your part to rein in any protectionist sentiment in upcoming legislation and trade policies. I agree with Henry Paulson that free trade is good for poorer countries, who would suffer the most under restrictions. There's been a lot of populist talk about reining in free trade, and now that the elections are over, I hope you'll consider making sound decisions that best ensure prosperity for us all, and at the least do not do harm to the poorest among us."