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In 1776 the United States formally declared its independence from a monarchy. 250 years later, we need to rededicate ourselves to the ideals of that founding document. It states that we are, "endowed by our creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Nowhere does it say, "but only if you can afford it." In a Democracy, representatives are elected to work on behalf of the populace. Rules and laws are enacted, primarily with the goal of serving the needs of the greatest number of people. Everyone deserves enough food to eat and a safe place to live. I think most people would agree that if a person gets sick, whether they live or die shouldn’t depend on their ability to pay for care. But Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress are trying to convince us that government should only work for a privileged few; that anyone who believes that government is there to help people is a "socialist" or "communist." They sow division, hoping we’ll blame each other rather than realize that the richest among us are the ones taking more and more of our tax dollars. People who need assistance are characterized as lazy freeloaders while the wealthiest receive tax breaks and massive refunds for the president’s unconstitutional tariffs. (Somehow this never translates to money back in our pockets.)
Since 2016, Chautauqua County has voted overwhelmingly Republican, both nationally and locally. Congressman Tom Reed chose to leave early following sexual misconduct allegations in 2021 to become a lobbyist for a global PR firm. When his replacement chose not to run, our current congressman, Nick Langworthy, R-NY 23, was voted in. He had been serving as Republican Committee Chair for New York State, after Donald Trump championed him for the job. He had previously served on Trump’s transition team in 2016, so the two go way back. Langworthy has proven a reliable rubber stamp for the president’s agenda, voting for the so-called Big Beautiful Bill(BBB). This has already taken food assistance away from millions, including one in four veterans’ families, according to data from the Dept. of Agriculture. The daunting paperwork required to prove eligibility for assistance, now due twice a year, has succeeded in throwing even more people off. Cuts to Medicaid are causing many to lose health insurance. The harm done by the BBB will grow exponentially in the coming months and years as more and more lose access to these programs. This means millions of children will not have enough to eat in the richest country on earth!
Langworthy and his fellow Republicans have failed to exercise any meaningful constraints on this incompetent and immoral president. In July, Langworthy voted against the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act, legislation supported by Wounded Warrior Project. He voted against the War Powers Resolutions that would reassert Congress’s oversight of U.S. Military engagement. He voted against the release of the Epstein files, calling the latest effort to bring a measure of justice to survivors, "a pointless political gimmick." As a member of the DOGE Committee, Langworthy supported numerous cuts that have resulted in less food safety, scientific research, weather monitoring, air and water supply protections, as well as the destruction of USAID, which eliminated food and medical aid around the world, and hurt American farmers. He has failed to make a clear stand against data centers, saying he’d leave it up to local municipalities. He opposes Gov. Hochul’s statewide ban however, fearing we could miss out financially. Does he agree with Trump that we’re choosing to be "backwards and poor" if we don’t allow them? We would ask him this and so many other questions if he would just hold an in-person town hall. But he prefers a "tele" town hall where callers and questions are screened ahead of time. He and his fellow Republicans have utterly failed to exercise their "power of the purse." They aren’t reining in Trump’s tariffs, or his many vanity projects that are destroying treasured landmarks while building monuments to his own ego. Langworthy claims to be going after welfare fraud, but he is turning a blind eye to the staggering corruption in this administration, much of it committed by Donald Trump, himself. Bribes from foreign entities(like the Qatari jet,) pardons sold to convicted felons, crypto schemes, sweetheart deals for personal associates, and no-bid contracts like the failed Reflecting Pool renovation, billion dollar business deals for Trump’s family through Pentagon contracts, real estate and other ventures. The list goes on.
With gas topping $4.45 a gallon, the cost of groceries skyrocketing, the war in the Middle East dragging on with no end in sight, climate change causing ever-bigger catastrophes, diseases like measles making a comeback, AI threatening to escape the bounds of human control, and ICE rounding up immigrants and citizens alike without due process, it is time for Chautauqua County and the rest of the country to change course. The midterms present a rare opportunity to finally put some guardrails on an administration that has run roughshod over constitutionally guaranteed rights, international alliances, and the day-to-day lives of Americans just trying to afford basic necessities. We don’t have to keep going down this path. There is an alternative. We can vote for Democrats and take back control of Congress this November.
Rachel Brown is a Greenhurst resident.