We Need New Leadership

Dear Editor,

This is what is happening in our 5th Congressional District: One in five citizens rely on food stamps; unemployment is 30% higher than the national average; one in six people live below the Federal Poverty Level. These statistics will only worsen if we see Social Security and Medicare whittled at.

If Cathy McMorris Rodgers would spend more time with her constituents instead of traveling around the country raising money for other Republicans, she might be more aware of the needs of her district and the above appalling statistics. Income from Social Security is currently estimated to keep 20% of Americans 65 and older above the Federal defined poverty level. The Republican party advocates handing Social Security over to Wall Street, raising the eligibility age of Medicare from 65 to 67 and converting the Medicare program to a voucher system, none of which could reasonably be considered being in our district's best interests. Since Rodgers rarely deviates from the party line, it is hard to believe she won't vote to make these kind of changes in the Social Security and Medicare programs.

We need new leadership. Get behind a candidate who will not cut Social Security or Medicare. Joe Pakootas is aware that Social Security is secure until 2033 and can be tweaked with something as simple as lifting the payroll ceiling if a growing economy doesn't take care of things first. He knows balance sheets and financial realities and knows how to get things done. As CEO he turned around a $10 million dollar corporation from losses to profits in a short period of time and "led a landmark cleanup of heavy metal in the Columbia River and Lake Roosevelt." Read up on Joe Pakootas' positions and his compelling background and then remember to vote. Carlan Bradshaw Walla Walla