Collins has worked against the interests of most of his constituents

Editor:

I wish to respond to Bob and Dawn Harker and their recent letter in the Orleans Hub, September 20. I’ve had serious doubts about Chris Collins for a long time now. He stands directly opposite many of the issues I care about.

First and foremost is his desire to repeal New York State’s duly enacted gun control law known as the SAFE Act. History and common sense shows that sensible gun laws save lives. Everyone is law abiding until they massacre.

Giving unfettered access to assault weapons with large capacity ammo clips is a recipe for social disaster, as the evidence of our own eyes has shown us. This is also just one of the reasons why I oppose the nomination of pro-gun Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. I say this as a hunter and gun owner (shotgun and .22 rifle). Enough!

Mr. Collins favors oil drilling and other destructive activities in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge and other environmentally sensitive lands. Harming our remaining wilderness areas while maintaining our dependence on polluting climate changing fossil fuels make no sense at all. It is a double whammy we cannot tolerate. Our emphasis should be on safe renewables like wind and solar. When someone tells you renewables can’t replace fossil fuel, they haven’t done their homework. Just look to examples around the world.

Mr. Collins sees Social Security and Medicare as social programs to be cut or abolished to pay for federal budget shortfalls. Am I expected to believe Mr. Collins doesn’t know we paid into Social Security and Medicare all our working lives? That money is ours for our cost of living and healthcare needs.

Mr. Collins’ support of Trump and his economic policies means he favors welfare for the rich and corporations. Tax cuts to make wealthy people wealthier is grossly unfair to American labor. Wages remain stagnant and inflation is growing.

But Trump’s economy is booming for CEO’s. To make matters worse, Trump and Collins want to limit the ability of labor unions to bargain. Don’t like unions? Then give up your Saturdays, paid vacation, healthcare, minimum wage and the other benefits won by unions that you now take for granted. Even companies like Kodak which did not have unions modeled their treatment of employees after the those benefits fought for by unions.

I can’t speak to the guilt or innocence of Mr. Collins, or Trump for that matter. I trust in our judicial system to make that determination. What the Harkers seem to fail to realize is that the prosecutors in New York that indicted Mr. Collins are the same ones that have indicted corrupt Democrats in state government.

As for the mainstream media being leftists, that is carrying Trump’s water, calling truthful reporting “fake”. Remember, the press is only an enemy to those who fear the truth.

Thank you,

Al Capurso

Gaines