Why The Sudden Change?

[xthetylerx]

(This letter to the editor that I wrote appeared in Madisonville's The Messenger on May 27, 2006.)

Ed Whitfield does not want to be re-elected to the House of Representatives.

While the congressional elections are months away, Ed Whitfield has yet to tell the people of the First District that he does not wish to be re-elected. However, voters only need to look back at the year 1994, when Whitfield first ran in a congressional race. He then stated that Congressmen should only be able to serve six terms, or twelve years. In the years of 1995 and 1997, Whitfield voted to limit congressional terms to six terms, respectively. He also voted seven different times to limit terms to just three terms. This November, he ironically runs for his 7th re-election bid. Why the sudden change?

Is it because Whitfield has received $148,209 from the big pharmaceutical companies and interests during his tenure? He knows that if he were to lose his seat now, he would no longer receive some of his beloved soft money. Instead of working to lower the premiums of health insurance for Kentuckians or making sure that every Kentucky child is covered, he votes to give the special interests tax breaks in the billions.

Is it because Whitfield has a quarter of a million dollars invested in Exxon, one of the nation’s leading oil companies? Instead of actually working to lower gasoline prices, Whitfield sits idly by while gasoline prices skyrocket. As long as gas prices increase and remain high, “Exxon Eddie” receives a wonderful sum of money from his dividends.

Is it because Whitfield supports Halliburton’s no-bid contracts? He has continually voted to keep giving Halliburton contracts even when the Pentagon found that over $100 million of their contractors’ costs in Iraq were unreasonable. In return, Halliburton gifted Whitfield a hefty $2,000.

Perhaps Ed Whitfield has changed his mind since he first ran to “clean up the mess in Congress” in 1994. However, there is a new mess in Congress, and Whitfield’s name is all over it. Regardless of whether he wants to be re-elected or not, he won’t. It is time for Kentuckians to once again place their trust and votes in Tom Barlow, Whitfield’s opponent this fall. Let’s make Whitfield honor his own personal belief that no Congressman should serve more than six terms. Let’s vote for Tom Barlow.

Tyler B. Yandall

Madisonville

[tulip]

1. Info on Bayh

http://americansforbayh.blogspot.com/

These people are supportive of Bayh. Lots of good info there.

[alfredo]

2. Good letter