Justin Simmons, Karen Beyer's Republican opponent in the moderate 131st legislative district, repeatedly blasted her with the P word at Friday night's LV Conservative Voice candidates' night. That's P for progressive, and is now being associated with socialism, communism and overall poor personal hygiene.Incredibly, Simmons complains that it's largely because of her that the state has a budget. She is one of just two House Republicans who voted to break the gridlock. What a terrible person she must be!
Simmons' life experience consists basically of school, student council and working briefly for state senators. He has no clue what it's like to lose a job, or to juggle things around so you can buy shoes for your kids. His youthful insensitivity to the very real problems caused by that gridlock should be embarrassing. During that impasse, school districts were denied about $1.3 billion in state funding, and non-profits providing vital human services waited for another $114 million.
As reported by CNN, day care centers closed, food banks had to cut back, literacy classes were canceled and the south branch of the Allentown Public library had to be closed.
At the time, then LC Comm'r Chair Percy Dougherty complained, "[T]hey are asking us to pay their bills while they argue over the budget." Allentown school board member Bob Smith, himself a conservative Republican, at that time noted that "what may have started out as a legitimate battle of ideas on how to move our Commonwealth forward has turned into a sad sideshow that underscores why people don't like and don't trust politicians."
That impasse caused real problems, including hungry kids. How anyone can suggest it should have continued, is beyond me. Simmons, a single guy with no kids of his own, might be singing a different tune if it were his kids who were suffering.
No rebuttal time for state Rep. Karen Beyer, and no time for questions.
On my way out at the end of the night, Simmons had blocked the only way out of the room, but refused to acknowledge me as I left.
I might have had a question. Or two.
7 comments:
Yes, that youthful exuberance. The kind that shows he has yet to be sucked into the blackhole of dependency on government to solve all problems.
A budget impasse that results in suspension of services is just as much the fault of the side that wanted to sweep our fiscal problems under the rug as it is those who would suggest maybe it is time to do something about them.
And when neither side is willing to compromise, you end up with nothing except suffering children. A vote for Simmons is a vote for extremism.
Bernie -
You're right - he doesn't have a clue.
He hasn't learned that it's all right to spend on programs that benefit us now and then pass the bill on to the next generation.
Hopefully, he'll quickly learn that selfishness is ok in government - as long as you're doing it for the "children".
Wanting government to spend within its means is not extremist - it's called being responsible.
I hear he opposes clean air, clean water and apple pie as well. The hyperbole is pathetic. What an immature post.
this guy has no real life experience. beyer hires a PI to trail the dem... not a good group of republicans to choose from.
"What an immature post."
Yeah, silly me, for speaking up for hungry kids and the programs designed to help them. it's so much more important to be principled, especially when your own belly is full.
You assume that government solutions are the only way to feed hungry kids. Yet, in the era of government solutions, hunger has gotten worse. You and your thoughtless morality of good intentions that always becomes a wasteful jobs program for the government class have caused more kids to go hungry. But you sleep at night as long as you can say you supported throwing another ineffective program at the problem.
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