Wolfepack News-October 2005
Date 2005/10/19 20:20:00 | Topic: Wolfepack News:
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Ringwood and the Saga of the Ford Motor Company
For over three decades, the people of Ringwood have been trying to get the attention of our federal government to clean up the toxic waste deliberately dumped by Ford Motor Company. The Record recently published a five-part series on this serious health problem that ran last week. Please go to http://www.toxiclegacy.com/ and carefully read this exposé. The story is filled with bribes of elected officials, cover-ups from all levels of government, mob payoffs for illegal dumping, and above all a mess that even a toxic waste facility in Michigan refuses to accept because it is too toxic for their facility. This is a Superfund site that has been covered up by our elected officials for decades. The Record called on our Congressman, Scott Garrett, to do the right thing and get the necessary paperwork done to finally get the Superfund status and funding to begin the real cleanup in Ringwood, as well as dozens of other dumping sites throughout Northern New Jersey. To date, Garrett will only say that he is ‘talking to someone in the EPA.’ and tour the site for a photo opportunity.
This is not a new problem. During Garrett’s tenure in Congress, this story has surfaced three times and he remains silent. In the 2004 election cycle he took two $1,000 contributions from the Ford Motor Company PAC. He consistently votes against funding for the Superfund. That adds up to a congressman who makes sure his friends are protected and the needs of the people of his district are ignored. We deserve better representation. We deserve to have our elected officials held accountable for their deplorable actions. We must move quickly to stop this environmental nightmare, which continues to ravage the lives of innocent people.
Why is this important for you? Toxic waste knows no boundaries. It seeps into our water and our soil and contaminates our drinking water. Ringwood is located in the Highlands, which is home to the drinking supply for half of the residents of the State of New Jersey. Our health is at stake and we must act swiftly and decisively to stop a serious health threat from spreading.
Are you ready for change? It is time for all of us to stand up and say “NO” to business as usual in Washington. It is time to demand that our congressman takes action and finds the necessary funding to clean up this toxic disaster that is affecting our health. Toxic waste does not care if you are poor or wealthy, young or old, weak or strong, Republican or Democrat. This issue of protecting our health has nothing to do with partisan politics. It is about doing the right thing. We have the power to change. Please write, call and e-mail Scott Garrett and demand that he do the right thing and take action for the good of our health, our security and our children. No more talk and investigation – it is time to begin the arduous task of protecting our watershed from further deterioration. Together we can make a difference. We cannot afford to wait.
On Fiscal Responsibility
Recently, our congressman saw fit to be just one of 11 of the 435 members of Congress who voted against the initial relief funding for victims of Hurricane Katrina. His concern was over the issue of accountability. I would understand his decision if he were consistent, but not once has Garrett objected to or voted against funding for the war in Iraq. Not once has he called for an investigation into the billions of dollars unaccounted for that have found their way into the pockets of companies like Halliburton through no-bid contracts. Not once has he voted against funding for pork projects like the bridge to nowhere in Alaska.
Not once has he voted against the Bush Administration’s budgets, which have produced the worst deficits our country has ever experienced.
Yet when it comes to relief for hurricane victims, Scott Garrett is there to say NO. He is a flip-flopper when it comes to crucial funding for the neediest Americans. We deserve better from our congressman.
Science Education
Garrett is urging New Jersey’s school boards to include “intelligent design” as a part of our children’s science curriculum. He told The Record on Sept. 30: "Evolution is the predominant theory right now [but] intelligent design is one that is apparently growing in some scientific communities, in academia. ... It seems that a school board should at least consider being tolerant and open to discussing both theories."
The issue of teaching evolutionary theory in our public schools has had its own evolutionary process. We have taken it out of science textbooks in the past and then brought it back when it was of importance to our national security. When Sputnik was launched, the United States created a new federal program to improve science and math curriculums in our public schools so that we could compete with the Soviet Union and win the space race. Science became a top priority and we included evolution in textbooks as part of the effort to advance scientific theories and bolster our national security. Once again, we find ourselves with our children falling behind in global education for both math and science.
It is time for us to launch a new priority for advancing science and math education as an investment in our future. True homeland security needs to include a healthy population that competes for scientific discovery in all fields of research, including stem cell therapy. This is not a time for us to bury our heads in the sand and debate intelligent design vs. evolution.
Intelligent design is not science and, if it is considered at all, should not be included in any required public school curriculum. The real issue here is allowing religion to take on a greater role in our public schools. The separation of church and state was made abundantly clear by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution. The teaching of a religious theory like intelligent design in our public schools would blur that line. We must not allow it.
Are you ready for change? Make sure that your voices are heard at local school board meetings as your elected school board members determine your school ‘s curriculum. Now is the time for action – we cannot afford to wait!
On the War in Iraq a War of Choice not of Necessity
The so-called war on terror has not found the chief instigator for the attacks on September 11, 2001. While thousands of our courageous men and women serving our Armed Forces have given their lives in Iraq, Bin Laden is still at large. Iraq has had its second election and even so its stability as a nation is far worse today than when the United States invaded. Our National Guard and Reserve forces who are serving bravely in Iraq are not available to help at home in the case of a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina. We have been told that pulling out of Iraq will be postponed from early 2006 because it is taking longer than originally anticipated to stabilize Iraq. We have abused, terrorized and tortured prisoners of war as the enemy trains new recruits for terrorist attacks against American and Iraqi troops. Billion of dollars have been spent on this war and we are no more safe from terrorist attack today then we were on September 10, 2001. Every day our deficit grows because of this war that had nothing to do with 9/11 and that we did not have to fight.
And yet, Bin Laden is still at large. We are more vulnerable.
Are you ready for change? We must work with other nations and the UN and ask for help to stabilize Iraq. It is in the best interest of all Western nations to unite against further terrorist attacks by embracing a peace process for the Middle East and by accelerating a plan of stability for Iraq that nurtures economic freedom. Terror is starved by feeding and investing in economic stability, not by conquering and destroying civilizations.
Our national security depends upon strong alliances with friendly nations. They can help us get the job done in Iraq so the men and women of our Armed Forces can come home. It is now time for us to ask others the share the burden of maintaining a peaceful world. Terror exists and we must always fight against it. But the Bush Administration must finally accept that battles are won by inclusion, cooperation and multinational efforts, not by go-it-alone bravado. We cannot afford to stay in Iraq without the financial and logistical assistance of other peacekeeping forces.
Garrett’s Recent Voting Record
Bill # Vote # What will the bill do? Garrett’s vote
HR3673 RC460 Provide emergency aid for Hurricane Katrina relief NO
HR6 RC445 Enacts the Bush administration energy policy developed by industry lobbyists behind closed doors. The bill provides exemptions for oil producers using the pollutant MTBE. Yes
HR3824 RC506 Renewed the Endangered Species Act, but modified the management of threatened and endangered species against the warnings of respected scientists and environmentalists. Yes
HR3199 RC414 Reauthorizes the USA PATRIOT Act Yes
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This article comes from WOLFE for Congress, New Jersey's 5th Congressional District
http://www.wolfeforcongress.com
The URL for this story is:
http://www.wolfeforcongress.com/article.php?storyid=8
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