I was very disappointed to see a large political ad printed in the Johnstown’s Tribune-Democrat on July 25th citing a blog article I wrote back in May called “He Isn’t One of Us (Tim Burns)… You’re Right!“. The ad’s author clearly misunderstood and contorted my article’s message and unfairly blasted both Tim Burns and myself, personally, as well as Tim Burns’ political campaign here in the 12th congressional district of Western Pennsylvania.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised as this is politics, right? Well, I will admit I was absolutely shocked my article (and the intent of my article) were taken out of context in such an extreme manner and then seemingly used to vilify both myself and Mr. Burns. How disconcerting!
In my rebuttal of this unfortunate attack ad on both Mr. Burns and my article, I immediately responded to theTribune-Democrat’s editorial section with the following comments (I anticipate it will be printed in the editorial section of the weekend paper). I’m not able to print a large quarter page ad like my counterpart did (I don’t have the monetary resources, unfortunately), but to use the same words as my counterpart… I “will not be silenced.”
He Isn’t One of Us! (Part II)
In response to a recent political ad printed on July 25th citing my blog article “He Isn’t One of Us! “, I would like to clarify my comments and the intent of this article I posted online in May. Please visit my blog for the full article: http://www.dawnrager.com/blog/?p=1106.
I don’t believe I disrespected our area’s workers. I repeatedly complimented this area for its diligence and hard-work ethic. I have no issues with our hard-working defense industry, health care, law enforcement officers, teachers, and other public sector and non-public sector workers. I was referring to the types of work available here, not the workers personally. We’ve become increasingly dependent on government “pork” while private businesses have been left out of the economic equation (since they don’t have the financial or political backing to acquire contracts). What will happen when these contracts and funding are unavailable? Friends of mine, who work in the defense industry, are equally as concerned.
In closing, regardless of where Tim Burns’ former business was located, he grew up in this area. He knows the ropes. Finally, Tim Burns did not outsource jobs; the outsourcing of his company’s jobs happened after he sold his business. How can we continually blame him for something that happened “after the fact?”
If you want more of the same “good ole boy” politics, then vote for yet another career politician, Mr. Critz. If you want a fresh start with a proven successful business perspective for everyone, then Tim Burns is your candidate.
The original blog article I wrote was not intended to attack workers, personally, here in the 12th congressional district, and there is no such indication of this in my writing. I was not putting down our hardworking men and women who work in the defense industry, health care, law enforcement, education, steel industry, or any other public or non-public environment. Just for the record, my husband is a skilled welder/fabricator and I am very proud of his work accomplishments! Friends, my article was about the kinds of work available here in relation to our overall job outlook. That’s it. Nothing more.
Our current job and employment environment highly favor the public sector and government-contracted work, while the non-public and private business sector are dwindling here because they do not have the monetary or political backing to adequately compete for and acquire big contracts. We are not especially welcoming to private businesses that wish to start-up here, either. In essence, we’ve aligned all of our ducks in a row for governmental projects and grants while inadvertently discouraging small business growth and now, we’ve backed ourselves into a difficult corner. On one hand, we want those government contracts (or “pork”) to continue to come through for us so we can sustain ourselves here (it’s our life support), but in doing so, we encourage even MORE dependence on these contracts and still do little to promote job growth elsewhere. It’s a vicious cycle of dependence which will be increasingly difficult for us to break from — especially as more small businesses (in the private sector) pack up and leave for good. The truly unfortunate thing is we’ve allowed ourselves to get backed into this corner; we continually re-elected politicians who secured “big money” in Washington for us (and they promised us this would be good for us and the area), but we seemingly didn’t think much about the consequences or “the big picture.” The consequences of this, now, reach far more than just economics and jobs; it’s about government control and oversight in yet another aspect of our personal lives. This is a growing concern for many of us who, ultimately, want “less government” involvement and oversight in our daily lives and decisions. For many here, the government has a hand in how they’ll pay their bills and put food on their tables (with both unemployment on one end of the spectrum and contracted “pork” on the other).
*SOME of the companies, who have opened facilities here (I’m being specific here with my wording so my words and intentions are not misconstrued and I’m wrongly accused of speaking on behalf of ALL companies), regularly use “transplants” from other facilities across the country to fill vacancies here, so residents of this area are overlooked for employment opportunities. Who, then, are truly benefiting from these contracts? We have many willing and able hard workers here in this district who can fill these positions with on-the-job training, when necessary.
As a mother of young children and a wife of a blue collar steel worker, I understand that we all work and do what we have to do so we can provide for ourselves and our families. Once again, my initial article was not designed to degrade ANY KIND OF WORKER, in any way, and it is simply irresponsible to suggest otherwise. Anyone who knows me would tell you that I have the highest respect for our public workers and many of my family, extended family, and friends are, in fact, public servants or workers contracted through the government. Many of them also share the same concerns I’ve shared with you above.
I do hope we can continue to talk and have fruitful, honest conversations about these very important issues which affect us all — without all the unnecessary drama of taking things out of context and attacking individuals personally. We have far more important issues to overcome TOGETHER (unemployment, health care reform, etc.) than waste our time jabbing at each other and “muddying the waters” from the real issues at hand. We must be responsible in our words and what we say (especially about others) if we wish to show a young generation what it means to have integrity, as well. It would also be refreshing if we could have these open discussions without worrying about increased sensitivity, either, and just talk frankly and honestly (without having to worry about political correctness and having to overemphasize words with bold and big letters so ideas and concepts aren’t wrongly quoted.). We need to all just step back and take a deep breath, folks. The upcoming mid-term elections aren’t just about Democrats and Republicans. Rather, the upcoming mid-term elections are about us as Americans — and the future of our children and grandchildren. As responsible Americans and parents, we need to research and take the time to really get to know our candidates and honestly evaluate — in a non-emotional way — our needs in the 12th congressional district. Lastly, we need to forgo the political and personal attack machine we’ve become so accustomed to (and often listen to). Let’s agree to disagree, but let’s do it with integrity, honesty, and responsibility. I’m in… Are you?
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