Here in California's 24th congressional district, we have been represented by Elton Gallegly for the past 25 years. There is a lot I could tell about Mr. Gallegly, but I think this op-ed piece from last month gives you a fair idea:
http://www.vcstar.com/...
Here is my response. An edited version of this appeared in print editions of the Ventura County Star on December 30:
Re: Creating jobs creates more helping hands
In Sunday's op-ed piece, Congressman Elton Gallegly feigns sympathy for victims of our Great Recession and recommends they seek the support of their neighbors. This set off so many alarms with me I hardly know where to begin!
First off, look around. We are on the hook for mammoth payouts to failing banks and now we should rely on one another? Should we ask our neighbors to refinance our mortgage? Should we ask the couple across the street to perform an appendectomy since we have no health insurance? Perhaps that nice lady down the street will help us put our kids through college since the money set aside hardly covers tuition now. Maybe Joe on the next block can give us a job -- oh wait, he was laid-off too. I'm sorry, Congressman Gallegly, but your constituents are struggling more than you can imagine, so please spare us the gratuitous advice.
If you are really interested in helping us, how about passing the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance extension? After all, you profess to love tax cuts -- or was that only for the wealthiest Americans?
And criticizing President Obama for adding to the federal deficit to bolster the economy doesn't excuse the significantly larger contribution by President Bush to fund tax cuts for the wealthy and invading other countries. Yes, we need to pay down our national debt so our children don't have to, but not at the expense of our children's education. Like most Americans who pay their mortgage before paying down their credit cards, let's focus on getting the economy back on track before tackling the national debt. It's been eleven years since President Clinton had the national debt paid off and it will take many years yet before we can pay it off again.
It's time to start focusing on what is really important to the residents of Ventura County and placing responsibility where it belongs.