Roskam insensitive on social justice

A focus on social justice is a value I look for in candidates for public office.

One of the ways I use to track the voting records of my senators and representative is through a publication called Connections put out by Network, a national Catholic social justice lobby.

The most recent issue contained a chart listing 12 U.S. House resolutions and showed whether each representative voted with Network's position.

According to the chart, my congressman, Peter Roskam, voted with this social justice lobby just 8 percent of the time. This can be contrasted to past years when his predecessor, Henry Hyde, would vote with Network closer to 50 percent of the time.

I was aware when Peter Roskam ran for congress in 2006 that he does not see the government's social justice role in the same way I do.

What surprises me is that his votes do not seem to reflect the views of the majority of his constituents in Illinois' 6th U.S. District.

I believe the people of our district are people who care about other people and who understand some government involvement is necessary for a socially just nation.

Jane Stavoe

Mount Prospect