Stop the reactionary, same-old, same-old

We've spent upward of 53 billion dollars of taxpayers' money in Iraq, most of it wasted on the no-bid contracts without oversight that enriched George W. Bush's corporate claque. The projects were haphazardly planned, poorly executed, many never completed by contractors who never consulted the Iraqis themselves. For all Bush's bluster about a "Marshall Plan," his electrical contractors after six summers and $4.9 billion in U.S. tax payers money leave Iraqis today with no more than a few hours of electricity a day, at best 500 megawatts short of daily needs.

Now, U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, our incumbent, supported GWB's irresponsible management of this failed invasion and echoed the reactionary Republican line every step of the way since the day he took office in the Illinois 6th. He raises a hullabaloo over taxes, yet the wars and tax cuts he helped authorize with fellow congressional Republicans will contribute over 7 trillion dollars to our deficit during the years from 2009-2019.

The Republican elephant seems to have no memory. It is currently the Party of No. Obstructionist, full of negative criticism. It just says no to any and all Democratic solutions, thinking or proposals. This Do-Nothing/Nothing-Doing Party offers no constructive proposals, no solutions. It has offers no viable program to stop the foreclosures or create jobs.

Let's contrast Roskam's war chest of corporations (Goldman Sachs, Exelon, etc.) with challenger Democrat Ben Lowe's stance on taking no PAC or lobbyist money whatsoever. As Americans at a crossroads, we need no more reactionary, same-old, same-old thinking by those who would take us back along the well-trodden paths of proven failure, we need new young leadership as exemplified by Ben Lowe, the Democrat, to innovatively take up the challenge, provide creative positive thinking, and sow the seeds for a better tomorrow.

Marion J. Reis

Wheaton