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Happy birthday to Jude Armond Sargent!

Letter to the Editor: Forty Fort spoiled by speeding drivers and damaging tree roots, writer says

Some call for Congressman Lou Barletta to make symbolic legislative efforts merely for the sake of ideological purity. I consider Congressman Barletta to be not only a conservative Republican, but a representative who votes with his district&#8217;s best interests in mind first, not weighing the consequences of politics or party.In Congress, Lou has been a man of his word. He has firmly stood his ground on illegal immigration and national security concerns regarding our porous borders, problems with the faulty visa system, and the dangers of allowing in unmonitored refugees from other countries. He has repeatedly voted to delay, dismantle and defund Obamacare and replace it with a health care system that actually improves the care of citizens, controls costs and preserves jobs in the process.He has fought against overzealous bureaucrats in Obama&#8217;s Environmental Protection Agency, standing with farmers and small entrepreneurs who are in danger of being regulated out of business. And as chairman of a key House subcommittee, Lou has saved taxpayers $3 billion by renegotiating government leases and reducing the federal real estate footprint.I find it difficult to question where Lou stands on issues of importance to the people of the 11th District of Pennsylvania.Lou does not blindly follow House Republican leaders. He voted against a funding bill because it did not do enough to help victims of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, and successfully parleyed that &#8220;no&#8221; vote into getting more help for his district. He also voted against the recent Omnibus spending bill &#8211; despite heavy lobbying by House leadership &#8211; because it continued to fund the refugee program that represents such a serious national security threat.As the former mayor of Hazleton, Barletta is keenly aware of our local needs and as such supports important programs such as Community Development Block Grants. He refused to simply shut down the government over ideological disagreements, not wanting to cut off funding our military or important programs that people rely on every day of their lives.We do not want a congressman who votes in lock-step with party leaders every time or is so rigid he cannot support ideas that clearly benefit residents of his district. I am proud to have supported Congressman Barletta in the past, and I will be proud to do so again this November.David BalogaLake Township

Letter to the Editor: U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta strikes proper balance between party line and district’s needs