Roskam marches to different drummer

Roskam marches to different drummer

I’m compelled to reply to a recent Fence Post contribution entitled “Real solutions based on reality” and suggesting that this applies to Peter Roskam. Really? This may well be the impression of 6th Congressional District people who only know him through taxpayer supported robo calls or glossy mailed literature.

But if you are part of the 99 percent struggling economically and looking for a fairer deal from the government you can learn real quickly that Roskam is not your man. Just look at his voting record. You will not find a person more aligned with the Republican Party and the Republican platform. Roskam has millions of dollars in his war chest, not from middle class voters but from Super PACs with undisclosed donors.

As Chief Deputy Majority Whip in the House he consistently votes against tax increases on millionaires and billionaires and then complains that the government is too big and can’t pay its debt. He consistently blocks regulation of the banks, protection of the environment, and anything that will help the economy — because that might help the president get re-elected.

Because of his record, Roskam is trying to avoid any debates with his Democratic challenger, Leslie Coolidge. While the district is strongly pro-choice, Roskam takes extreme pro-life positions like criminalizing abortion and redefining rape to exclude statutory rape and date rape. With every other Republican in Congress, Roskam recently voted down a $1 billion bill that would have helped veterans get jobs as policemen, firemen, or other first responders.

Anyone could see that this is precisely the type of bill that would stimulate our economy, boost employment, reward those who served after 9/11, and be great for America. In other words, a real solution based on reality. Leslie Coolidge understands that but Roskam marches to a different drummer.

Frank Goetz

Wheaton