Brush Prairie resident Bill Eling explains why he is voting for Joe Kent in the Nov. 8 general election
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com
While I am not big on slogans like “America First,” I don’t reject them outright. I think there is a moral justification for taking care of your countrymen before you take care of someone else’s countrymen. Personally, my priority is my spouse, my family and my grandchildren. I take care of them first. Who thinks there is anything wrong with that? On a national level, it’s the same. The priority should be our American family. I support Joe Kent based on this fundamental principle.
![Bill Eling](https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Story_Clark-County-Today-Bill-Eling-411x400.jpg)
The real unanswered question is this: why does it seem that Congress puts American families last? Why does Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’ party imply that putting America first is extreme and, somehow, morally questionable?
No one is saying don’t be charitable. But who takes out a home mortgage to write a check to a charity? I don’t. Probably because it’s idiotic. But Congress has no hesitation in mortgaging your home and your future. Congress uses gimmicks like continuing budget resolutions to avoid making hard financial decisions and to keep money flowing to the same programs that are not remotely in the interest of a majority of Americans. Kent opposes these gimmicks.
I agree with most of Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’ economic and manufacturing platform. Unfortunately, a majority of her own party either vilifies her position as extreme or supports it only in words, not action. I have little confidence that by herself she can change her party’s America Last tendencies.
While her take on American manufacturing sounds good, I cannot reconcile her position on American manufacturing with her position on climate change. She places her hope on renewables. Renewables can’t sustain our non-interruptible power needs. If we keep eliminating the cheapest power sources, there is no point in bringing manufacturing home to America. You need reliable energy for manufacturing. Hard to make a widget during a rolling blackout. Hard to adjust your work schedule to just when the wind blows.
Then there is reproductive freedom. Whatever your position on abortion, the District 3 election has little to do with it. Due to false media reports and Oregon political ads, many people wrongly believe that the recent US Supreme Court decision outlaws abortion. Under Washington state law, you can get as many abortions as you want. Voting for Joe Kent for a federal office won’t change state law.
While I give credit to Perez for recognizing some of our problems, she misses the source of the problems. It is not that our “[r]epresentatives are completely out of touch” but that a majority of our federal representatives seem to be completely out of their minds [or refuse to stand up to the ones who are].
Knowing the source of a problem is a prerequisite to solving a problem. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez knows the problem but cannot admit that her party’s policies are not solving the problems and are making the problems worse. Joe Kent knows both the problem and the source. Of the two candidates, I believe Kent will fight to stop the bipartisan malfeasance in Washington DC. That’s why I am voting for Joe Kent.
Bill Eling
Brush Prairie
Also read:
- Opinion: OIC tells consumers not to pay for ‘insurance’ you won’t likely benefit from: Does that include WA Cares?Elizabeth New (Hovde) of the Washington Policy Center believes you should consider yourself warned by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner about WA Cares and its maybe-only benefit.
- Opinion: Same road, different speed limit?Target Zero Manager Doug Dahl addresses a question about speed limit signs going into and leaving town.
- Opinion: Hiding the growing cost of the Interstate Bridge replacementJoe Cortright of the City Observatory addresses the rising cost of the Interstate 5 Bridge replacement project.
- Letter: ‘This election I am NOT voting for Greg Cheney’Clark County resident Wynn Grcich shares her thoughts on Rep. Greg Cheney and the issue of fluoridation in area drinking water.
- POLL: Should biological males who identify as females be allowed to compete in athletic events against biological females?Should biological males who identify as females be allowed to compete in athletic events against biological females?