To the editor:
Our country is in trouble! Our once thought impervious system of checks and balances is failing. We have watched incredulously as Trump compliments dictators and attacks key democratic allies. His affinity for Putin is dangerous. If the United States does not advocate for democracy and human rights in the world, what country will carry this torch?
On the domestic side, when white supremacists marched in Charlottesville last summer chanting “Jews will not replace us,” Trump said there were “good people” on both sides. For months, the Trump administration has been separating immigrant children, including toddlers and infants from their parents. Last week many children were moved under the cover of night to tent cities where they do not have access to educational services and legal representation.
The Republican Congress will overturn the indispensable guarantee of affordable health insurance for people with pre-existing conditions. Congress passed tax reform on the backs of New Jersey residents by cutting key state income and real property tax deductions. As I get closer to retirement, I am concerned that these “tax cuts” will result in significant cuts to Medicare and Social Security. This Congress is in the pocket of the NRA and as long as the Republicans remain in control, we will never see reasonable gun control legislation. How many more Parkland and Sandy Hook school shootings will we permit?
This is why I am supporting Tom Malinowski for NJ-7 in Congress. Even if Lance’s claims to be a moderate are true, if we send a Republican controlled House of Representatives back to Washington, the new speaker of the house will be even less likely to ever permit votes on gun control. The House has already voted to make the loss of our property and income tax deductions permanent. The House will continue to do nothing to combat the abhorrent family separation policy. The House will drastically cut Medicare and Social Security and obliterate the protections for pre-existing conditions. The House will continue to remain silent as Trump embraces dictators, fails to support human rights and attacks the freedom of the press.
Tom Malinowski will support universal health care, restore our tax deductions and seek reasonable gun control. He has a proven track record of advocating for human rights and combating hatred and racism. His devotion to oppose authoritarian rule and hatred is deeply embedded within his families’ roots. When his family lived in Poland it helped protect friends and associates from the horrors of the Nazis. At an event last night, he spoke with humility about how he hoped, if faced with the same challenge today; he would summon the courage to act.
We need a courageous and dedicated leader like Tom Malinowski in Congress. We must restore checks and balances in Washington D.C. and in local elections. This November, cast your vote for Tom Malinowski (for NJ-7 in the House), Jeffrey Wright and Olivia Holmes for Hillsborough Township Committee.
Beth Lavranchuk
Hillsborough
