LoBiondo's State of the District Speech

On Friday Febraury 17th, Frank LoBiondo, our representative in the US Congress gave his State of the District speech to the Vineland Chamber of Commerce. He outlined the mistakes of the Bush administration in Washington like the FEMA response to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the rules changes that cut funding to rehabilitation hospitals that hurt patients and lay off workers, and the proposed selling of control of six of our major ports to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates. Strangely, he didn't say he would work to stop the sale of port control but, rather, that he would ensure that safeguards be in place before giving his stamp of approval. It is amazing that he would even consider a measure that most Americans perceive as a threat to our national security. However, some good things happened like the opening of a wing in Kessler Hospital to provide medical services to our veterans. He failed to say that he voted against diminishing the size of tax cuts for the wealthy in order to provide health care for veterans and their families. One has to wonder why in an election year where the media have reported that Mr LoBiondo's seat in Congress is in jeopardy, the federal government suddenly gives us money to fund local veterans' services after fighting it for five years. Could it be because Mr LoBiondo is a valuable ally of the Bush administration which does not want to lose him? A review of his record shows that Mr LoBiondo consistently supports the Bush agenda like pushing the Medicare Drug Plan, Social Security Private Accounts and this year's Health Care Savings Accounts. All these programs stand to benefit some special interest a whole lot more than working Americans. I think people would do themselves a lot of good by going on the internet or visiting the local library to look up Mr LoBiondo's voting record. They might learn that Mr LoBiondo is not as good for us as he says and decide to hire someone else this November.

NICK REINA

Milmay