In defense of Roybal-Allard

Dear Editor:In response to the letters last week ("Not Impressed with Roybal-Allard," 8/5/10), first and foremost, whenever Republicans complain about how Democrats are spending too much money, I wonder why they don't make reference to the reason why we find ourselves in this debt. To date, $1.09 trillion have been allocated to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. To put this into proportion, taxpayers in Congressional District 34 (Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard's district) will pay $18.5 million for proposed ballistic missile defense in the year 2011. If you still need some help understanding this, imagine that this same amount, which is just a small portion of the cost of this endless war, could purchase 241 elementary school teachers for one year. We mustn't forget to thank our honorable President George W. Bush for this war and the debt both inherited and yes, unfortunately, continued by President Obama. And since we're on the topic of school teachers, I'm wondering if these are the people Ms. Niemann refers to as "people who enjoy being paid not to work." Along with the many unemployed college graduates, people involved in the construction industry and the thousands of individuals in banking, mortgage processing and real estate - life must be great for them, according to Republican reasoning. In regards to Mr. Ramey's involvement in the 70's with Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, it's too bad he hasn't stayed abreast to the latest news concerning the people whose labor puts food on our tables. If he had, he would know that Roybal-Allard recently participated in "The Children's Act for Responsible Employment" (CARE). This provides that fair labor protections are never compromised for the sake of profit to agribusiness. In addition, her support of the National Farmworker Jobs Program allows member organizations to serve farmworkers in 49 states with job training, pesticide safety education, emergency assistance, and an advocacy voice for the people who prepare and harvest our nation's food. Perhaps Mr. Ramey should check his facts before bad-mouthing our congresswoman. Finally, I find it hard to believe that someone who worked for the noble farmworkers movement under Cesar Chavez, would end his letter with a racially offensive label such as "Cigar Store Indian." Maybe Mr. Ramey has forgotten the person he was in the 70's. -- M. Padilla, Downey

********** Published: August 12, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 17