Roskam’s curious epiphany: poverty

Roskam’s curious epiphany: poverty

A very curious email arrived from my Sixth District Congressman Peter Roskam. It was titled: “Looking back: jobs down, poverty up over last 4 years.” What was curious and stunning, was that Congressman Roskam even mentioned the word “poverty.”

He was in Congress for the last two years of the Bush administration, which saw the policies that Roskam champions, trillions in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and gutting sensible financial regulations, brought America to the brink of another Great Depression.

Roskam watched silently as 700,000 jobs were being shed monthly under Bush without ever mentioning the word poverty. His focus remained, as it always has, on additional largess for his base, the “Have Mores.”

As House Chief Majority Deputy Whip, Roskam banded with the Tea Party faction and the House Leadership to block every sensible measure to improve the economy for those millions of folks slipping into poverty to realize their primary goal of making President Obama a one-term president.

In his 2008 election, a wily Roskam, seeing the groundswell of support for Barack Obama to replace the man who implemented Roskam’s policies to catastrophic effect, trotted out an ad highlighting Obama supporters who were inexplicably also supporting Roskam.

For the 2012 election, Roskam, attempting to distance himself from the heartless Tea Party folks who zealously seek removal of virtually all government help for those in poverty, has had an epiphany. Nine days before the election, Congressman Peter Roskam wants us all to know that there is poverty in America and he has a plan to eradicate it. Oh yes, it involves removal of sensible governmental regulation ... and more tax cuts for those who couldn’t see poverty with a telescope.

Walt Zlotow

Glen Ellyn