Letters: Representatives serve constituents very well ... really?; Inflation Reduction Act helps farmers
Representatives serve constituents very well ... really?
Just a couple of thoughts in response to Ken Criste’s Aug. 19 letter regarding how well U.S. Representatives Keller and Thompson serve those who voted them into office.
I wonder when it became OK for an elected “representative” to represent the interests only of those whose views align with their own? Why isn’t every person who is elevated by a community to represent that community expected to make an honest effort to act in the best interests of everyone? Keller and Thompson don’t even pretend to make an effort to represent constituents who don’t share their views.
On the point that many Centre Countians should not equate one’s intelligence with one’s level of formal education or home address, I don’t disagree. Still, it is no less true that the strength of our democracy depends upon well informed voters. To paraphrase respected writer/director/producer Ann Druyan, “the aspirations of democracy are dependent on an informed citizenry, reinforcing their capacity to make wise decisions.”
Lastly, how well are these Representatives actually serving their constituents when, for example, they voted against enabling Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prescription prices and also against reducing the cost of insulin for those over 65 — when over 20% of their constituents are 65 and older?
An honest desire to improve the lives of everyone in their district should be a top attribute of every elected Representative. Lacking that, their $174,000 publicly paid salaries alone should guarantee the highest quality, unbiased, professional representation that money can buy.
Inflation Reduction Act helps farmers
As the Grange Fair begins its 148th year, let’s all celebrate this grand tradition!
The Centre County Grange Fair is a local extension of the national Grange movement, organized to advance methods of agriculture, as well as the social and economic well-being of farmers.
As Gov. Wolf recently stated, farming is the backbone of Pennsylvania’s economy — a $132.5 billion industry supporting 590,000 jobs and nearly $33 billion in annual wages.
So why did our own Rep. G.T. Thompson vote against the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides desperately needed funding for several agricultural conservation programs, including the widely lauded Conservation Stewardship Program (or CSP)? CSP helps farmers defray the costs of growing cover crops, which protect and improve the soil for future crops, helping to keep fertilizer in place and preventing erosion over winter, as well as supporting habitat for bees and other beneficial insects.
In 1936, Congress passed the Rural Electrification Act to bring electricity to Americans living in remote, rural areas. Would Thompson have called that crucial program “Big Government” too? That model has been used to bring other important infrastructure, including broadband, to rural Americans.
An updated and similar act could encourage installation of solar panels on farm building roofs and unused pastures, reducing operating costs for stationary farm equipment. In the future, it might even encourage the development of electric-powered farm equipment.
Elect Democrats who support innovative and cost-saving farming programs — programs that will yield positive impacts on the environment, human health and profitability for Pennsylvania’s farmers!