Despite the current economy, Embassy Bank has continued to grow. We have done so by diligently providing cost-effective financial services to individuals and businesses here in our home community. This has enabled Embassy Bank to support numerous community groups and worthy causes, while enhancing the quality of life for all families in our Lehigh Valley.

And like most of America's community banks, Embassy has never accepted one cent of the Federal government's bailout (TARP) money. Never needed it. Never wanted it.

Yet now the current administration and like-minded members of Congress are drafting compensation restrictions on all banks. Even homegrown community banks–like Embassy–which manage prudently and have had nothing to do with problems in the nation's financial system, would be subjected to these demotivating government-imposed restrictions.

We believe that government interference with free market enterprises whose hard work benefits shareholders, management, employees and their families, customers and community, is much more than unwarranted and unwanted…it is downright wrong.

Even more ominous is the potential for an unchecked government to legislate its bureaucratic control into ever more sectors of American business… and American independence.

Abraham Lincoln had it right. Community banks like Embassy are doing well for all concerned and "government ought not to interfere." We think that our elected leaders should not waste more of our tax dollars attempting to fix that which has never been broken.

Thank you.