Letter: Kline’s credibility vanishes on war

To the Editor:

Saying that somebody is “terribly confused” in a letter to the editor (R-E, May 28) does not make it so. Claiming that John Kline is “in touch with our needs” is equally suspect.

For example, praising Kline for “challenging the status quo” when he voted 93.1 percent of the time with the Bush administration is wrong. That only leaves 6.9 percent of the time to deal with the change in direction that 76 percent of Americans say that they want for our country.

Saying that we are “well represented” in Congress, does not make it so. Kline voted against SCHIP, which was health insurance for poor children. Kline voted against a bill to help college students. And, believe it or not, he recently voted against the GI Bill. Kline voted against the global warming bill, against alternative energy, against tax incentives for renewable energy, and against energy conservation. Tree hugger or not, big oil is not always the answer to our future energy needs.

Kline’s opposition to pork barrel spending and ear marks dates only from the time that the Republicans lost the majority in Congress. Even if Kline saved all of the $15 billion in so called, “pork projects,” that is only half of 1 percent of the $3 trillion to be spent on the Iraq War. Granted, the Iraq War is not a pork barrel, but it is a black hole barrel where all of Kline’s credibility and expenditures vanish without a trace.

Kline’s intransigence is no longer the issue in the upcoming election. The problems of the economy, the environment, the war, the health care system, and the schools will not go away by themselves. The relentless cry for “more of the same” cannot realistically sustain the future.

Anybody can call me “terribly confused” on the editorial page, but when it comes to the voting booth, I will clearly choose Steve Sarvi for the “new” not the “same old” Congress.

Paul Drotos is the DFL director for the 2nd Congressional District.

Tags: opinion, kline, drotos