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Commentary by Bob Bland
Special to the Herald/Review
Gabrielle Giffords was no stranger to Cochise County when she first ran for Congress two years ago, and throughout her first term, she’s fulfilled her promises to this area by standing up for us in Washington and fighting for common-sense solutions. She has kept an office in Sierra Vista and has been to Cochise County 22 times since taking office.
Giffords’ office in Sierra Vista has handled 820 cases for constituents and engaged in more than 23,000 phone calls, e-mails and letters with Cochise County residents.
Two weeks ago, Giffords joined Barack Obama and John McCain in voting for a much-needed emergency financial rescue bill after the unrestrained greed of Wall Street and eight years of Republican control combined to cost us 750,000 jobs and bring our economy to the brink of depression.
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Despite major reservations about parts of the bill, Giffords said that not voting would irresponsibly risk economic collapse, threatening retirement accounts, jobs, banks and the survival of small businesses. One local bank executive told Giffords he was forced to stop lending for mortgages. Several business owners told her they could not get credit to meet payroll. Older citizens were terrified as they watched their retirement accounts disappear.
After opposing one flawed proposal, she supported a much-improved bill that not only addressed these concerns but also promoted policies she had been seeking: protected taxpayers from the Alternative Minimum Tax; increased the number of families qualifying for the child tax credit; extended tax deductions for state and local sales and property taxes; and increased FDIC insurance to $250,000.
“Congress has more work to do to fix this problem and the underlying regulatory problems that contributed to this mess,” she said. “I will fight for strict oversight of how the rescue plan is administered … so that taxpayers will ultimately get a return on their money. This is the first of many votes that we will cast to restore fiscal discipline and regulation to the financial markets.”
Giffords will help ensure a secure retirement for hardworking families. Individuals, employers and government must all play a role. She will work for measures to preserve and protect existing public and private pension plans.
Giffords has pledged she will never subject Social Security to the risks of the stock market, while her opponent wants more study of privatization. Giffords is a tough and effective congresswoman who makes standing up for Southern Arizona her first priority. She’s an independent voice and an accessible representative, listening to her constituents and getting the job done.
Giffords has sought input from teachers, parents and business leaders in public hearings around the district and is fighting for reforms that will improve student learning, close achievement gaps, reduce class size and ensure that every child is taught by a highly qualified teacher. She has co-sponsored legislation that would give scholarships to college students studying to be math and science teachers, reduce interest rates on student loans and increase science standards in our nation’s schools.
Giffords has consistently voted to prevent cuts to Medicare and maintain reimbursement payments to doctors. She helped to override the president’s veto of the Medicare physician payment bill, protecting health care access for millions of seniors.
She also has introduced or co-sponsored bills to provide for public-private partnerships to speed new scientific discoveries into new medical treatments, increase breast cancer research, provide improved mental health care, reduce costs for prescriptions, and repeatedly voted to increase children’s health care funding.
Giffords works to transform our nation’s failing energy policy with a serious commitment to energy independence. She is determined to see America reach a goal of 20 percent renewable energy by 2020 and a reduced dependence on foreign oil. She proposed key elements in the comprehensive energy bill that helps end our nation’s dependence on foreign oil by opening limited new areas for drilling and advancing the use of clean, renewable sources of energy such as solar power.
As the only member of Congress married to an active duty member of our military, Giffords knows firsthand about the sacrifices our veterans have made. A respected member of the House Armed Services Committee, she is a steadfast supporter of Fort Huachuca and Davis-Monthan. She has led efforts to support our veterans by modernizing the “GI Bill” with expanded educational benefits and voted to provide the largest funding increase in VA history, including $600 million in additional funds for mental health programs and traumatic brain injuries.
Understanding the challenges unique to military families, she authored the law that allows members of the military who serve in combat zones to qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit.
For more information, visit www.giffordsforcongress.com.
BOB BLAND is chairman of the Cochise County Democratic Party. The party office is at 1010 E. Fry Blvd. For information, call 458-9467, or go online to www.cochisedemocrats.com.
SVH EDITOR wrote on Oct 29, 2008 5:09 PM: