Congressman Leonard Lance Voted For the Shutdown, Resident Says

The following text is a letter to the editor submitted by a Westfield resident.

Congressman Leonard Lance Votes With The Tea Party  For The  Government Shutdown      

If  Congressman Leonard Lance is so focused on what he says he is, that is bringing sanity to Washington and stopping the shutdown, then why did he vote FOR the shutdown? That is just patently disingenuous.       

In an ABC news article dated Oct. 9, it was reported that the news crew was with Leonard Lance as he returned phone calls to constituents. That's funny. I have been repeatedly calling his office for the past year on everything from urging sensible federal background checks on all gun purchases to this new Republican Tea Party  shutdown fiasco. He never personally returned my phone calls or anyone else's that I know. What a moment for the cameras. Is there an Oscar category called "Best Actor For a Politician"?         

In the ABC article, Leonard Lance referred to himself as "mainstream". Yet he bows to the radical  extreme Tea Party, toes the Tea Party line and most importantly consistently VOTES the Tea Party agenda. He has voted 42  times to repeal Obamacare wasting  our precious time and taxpayer's money. How is that " mainstream"? Leonard Lance must have some publicist.  

Quite frankly, it is his votes that counts and the only thing that counts. What Leonard Lance says is irrelevant. There were twelve House Republicans that voted against the shutdown and Leonard Lance was not one of them. Most notably, and to his credit, Representative Peter King from New York did have the moral character and sensible judgement  to vote against the government shutdown. It is nice to know there are still some elected officials that are not afraid to vote their conscience and truly put their money where his mouth is. 

Come election time, Leonard Lance will  be judged on his record, not his rhetoric.

We are watching.                                 
Karen Egert