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Letter: Braley wants to keep U.S. ‘for the people’
Op-Ed · October 24, 2014
I agree with President Abraham Lincoln that our government should be “for the people.”
The corollary of that proposition is that our government not give any undue benefit to a wealthy few. I agree with Chairperson Janet Yellin and others that increasing income inequality is a real problem for our United States’ democracy. Our democracy can only be just when it serves us all, not only a privileged few. We can only keep a government for the people if that government allows our country’s fruits to be properly spread among us all.
Congressman Bruce Braley is fighting to keep our democracy thriving. He’s doing his best to give us all a fighting chance at the American Dream. For example, when the Wall-Street Recession of 2008 trashed our economy, leading to massive lay-offs of Iowa workers, Congressman Braley supported a jobs bill to get them back to work. Then, he voted to extend unemployment compensation benefits. Those benefits saved many Iowa families from financial disaster. In addition, Congressman Braley supports workers’ rights to organize peaceably to represent themselves in unions, in efforts to make a better life for their families. Also, Congressman Braley has supported increasing the minimum wage. Why? Because it’s right to:
• Allow all Iowa’s full-time workers to avoid being on welfare;
• Give 300,000+ Iowans a raise for the first time since 2008; and
• Give some of our hardest-working folks financial security and a chance to better care for their families.
Congressman Braley’s opponent would, if elected, put more power in the hands of a Republican party that turned its back on our unemployed workers — our friends and neighbors — who’d lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The GOP stopped that needed unemployment comp extension. Is that “government for the people?” Congressman Braley’s opponent will most certainly join with other Republicans to fight like mad any efforts by working people to organize to deal fairly with management. Worst of all, Ms. Ernst goes beyond not wanting to increase the minimum wage. Ms. Ernst would abolish the minimum wage. She would, in effect, let corporations pay working folks whatever the corporations pleased. That’s not government for the people. That’s government by corporations and the top 1 percent.
Bottom line: Congressman Bruce Braley is the best choice for our democracy in the U. S. Senate race. He is trying to make sure that we all share in the fruits of this rich country. He wants to keep a government for the people. Please join me in doing everything we can to get Congressman Braley elected. Please get out and vote. Then, please get your friends and family to vote. We’ll all be happy we did.
Paul McAndrew, Jr., North Liberty
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