Letter from Paul Mendelsohn

Don’t Be Silent on Election Day

Historically, members of Congress maintain some independence, responding to the needs of their local constituents. But in this Republican-dominated Congress, the few Republicans who’ve defied the president have been largely replaced by well-financed MAGA primary opponents.

Has their obedience been rewarded by lower fuel prices or lower inflation? Has an unfunded, unauthorized war made us safer? Have arrests of 2,000 low-wage agricultural, health and construction workers per day, reduced crime? As medical research is curtailed and Medicaid/Medicare cuts slated for 2027 take effect, will you be healthier? As SNAP, subsidies for heating assistance and healthcare insurance expire, are you better off?

Where is the money going? $240 billion to immigration enforcement. $917 billion to our military, managed by a TV host, embroiled in a war that has exposed our weakness and arrogance to the world. The gold statues, the ballroom, the golf course, the arch. Our national debt, now $40 trillion, has climbed by $11.6 trillion across the two Trump administrations. The GOP-approved budget gives huge tax cuts for the billionaires, who spend millions to maintain the politicians who shift the burden from themselves to all of us.

Do Trump’s billion dollar gains from crypto and AI mirror your rising fortunes? As the future of Social Security is decided next year, will Republican legislators who have ignored checks and balances of the Constitution and the rule of law have your back?

Only 52 percent of eligible voters voted in 2022. Use your voice, or they will use your silence.

Paul Mendelsohn
Cherry Valley