Letter to the editor: Berg supports cuts that would hurt Jamestown

We like to think of ourselves as somewhat isolated from all the political shenanigans that go on in Washington. When someone out there votes for a budget, we really don’t believe it could ever have that much of an impact back here.

But in fact, the budget that Rick Berg voted to support would indeed be felt by the people of Jamestown.

The biggest impacts have already been discussed at length. The budget that Berg voted for twice would turn Medicare into a voucher system. And lower and middle class families would pay more in taxes while the wealthiest would see hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax breaks.

But what most people don’t think about is how their budget cuts would hurt Jamestown. Our local vets would be hurt by the cuts to Veterans Administration. Women would lose domestic violence funding. School nutrition programs for our kids would be sharply reduced. And the cuts to higher education would mean that a lot of our own kids wouldn’t be able to afford college. That’s just a start.

Berg may have fooled our mayor about his support for Jamestown, but his actions tell a different story. Fortunately, he hasn’t been very effective in the U.S. House. Let’s not give him a seat in the Senate.

Ruth Urdahl

Jamestown

Tags: opinion, letters, politics