Trending
To The Reader's Forum:
As I write, there are about 53 days from Election Day, 2026 and the Republicans are holding a "convention" in Texas. Trump spoke yesterday and offered every adult citizen $5,000 if the Republicans continue to hold majorities in both the House and Senate in the 2026 elections. Not to spoil the party for Republicans, but there are a few reasons why the offer is unlikely.
First, Trump has made at least 3 other offers of substantial payments to American adults that have fizzled over time. Second, it should be no secret that the offer will cost $1.3 trillion, and the federal budget is only about $7 trillion, so Trump would have to borrow money to make good on his promise which would spike costs even further for taxpayers. Third, both houses of Congress must change, which seems unlikely since the House of Representatives should change and the momentum is with the Democrats to win the Senate, too. Fourth, the Republican promise is, at best, a "defensive" strategy because the Republicans have run out of positive strategies with Trump's "tariffs" and the war with Iran that are causing all kinds of surging costs of food, oil, fertilizer (to name a few) that have no end in sight! (Trump should have better listened to Bill Clinton's strategists who warned, "It's the economy, stupid!")
Even Nick Langworthy is running a "defensive" campaign hoping to fool voters into believing there is some "magic" in saying he's against taking money for stock trading even though there is nothing prohibiting House members benefitting from stock trading! That is what is known as a "meaningless" position! I could also say "I'm against stock trading" but how do I prove it? There has to be some law against it, which there isn't!
Langworthy has failed to support an end to surging costs for food, housing and gasoline by broadly supporting Trump's agenda. He knows that only Americans pay tariffs, which the Supreme Court called "taxes", yet he has failed to oppose them. The war with Iran keeps going on – "a forever war" – that only Congress has power to declare. By not saying "no", to this and other actions by Trump, Langworthy has given tacit approval to Trump!
The time has come to make NY-23 accountable to the voters. Langworthy is a federal Congressman and has federal responsibilities. He can't hide those responsibilities further with meaningless positions!
Paul L. Demler
Jamestown